Despair
by JCL1371
Summary: After killing Sarevok and defeating the Iron Throne things had to settle down. Imoen got married, and she and Jeral both looked forward to well deserved peace and happiness. Apparently Irenicus had other ideas. Set in the Baldur's Gate II game this is a follow on to 'Disappointment' and tells the story of Jeral the bard and his companions.
1. Caged

Despair

Prologue

 _Greetings all! I am a huge fan of the Baldur's Gate series of games and have really enjoyed reading all the fan fiction over the years. In fact I enjoyed some of them so much that I wanted to give it a try. In all the times I have played the Baldur's Gate series I have enjoyed playing bards and thieves most of all. So when it came to write a tale it came down to picking one of those options for the protagonist. The more I thought of it the more writing about a bard made more sense particularly since playing a bard allows for Yoshimo to fit more naturally into the story. Raised by one of the greatest wizards in the realm it felt natural that Jeral, despite his true parentage, could only fail to measure up to his father. Raised in a library fortress the paths of ranger and druid made no sense. And as a child of Bhaal service as a cleric or paladin seemed impossible. So I wrote 'Disappointment' which encapsulated Baldur's Gate. If you have not read it please take a look._

 _I somehow managed to finish it and plan to do two things moving forward. First, I want to clean up some parts of 'Disappointment' and second I want to continue the story through Baldur's Gate II._

 _So this is my tale of Jeral the bard. I hope you like it. This should be a little darker and more intense than the first story since let's face it, Sarevok was bad but Irenicus is waaaaaaaaay worse. And like all other fan fiction, Jeral is mine as is the occasional NPC that does not exist in the game. Everything else belongs to the fine folks at BioWare._

 _On with the show._

 _Bondari, thanks for the continued comments on the first story. Yeah Imoen definitely has a tough road ahead of her._

Chapter 1: Caged

Jeral drew his matched blades and faced Sarevok in front of the destroyed temple. The massive warrior, a fellow Bhaal spawn, drew his heavily enchanted two handed sword and bellowed at Jeral as he attacked. Sarevok slashed at Jeral and the bard nimbly stepped aside. Sarevok lunged again and Jeral easily twisted away from the blow. Time and time again Sarevok attacked and Jeral nimbly stepped aside. Jeral had never felt faster or more prepared for a fight. As the battle wore on Jeral managed to counterattack and find weak points in Sarevok's armor. His blades cut deeply time and time again. Sarevok howled in pain and frustration and he ineffectually struck back at Jeral. Jeral was seconds from avenging Gorion's death, seconds from embracing his destiny, seconds from out dueling his nemesis and watching Sarevok die.

Of course that was not what happened; not even close to what happened that fateful day. Jeral's fantasies yielded to his true memories of the action as he continued to dream. Jeral did face off with Sarevok and found himself badly outmatched. Sarevok was stronger, more heavily armed and armored, and was a much better swordsman. Jeral did indeed fight Sarevok in the caverns under Baldur's Gate. He fought Sarevok and lost, badly. Sarevok nearly cut Jeral in half during the bard's desperate counterattack. Jeral lay on the ground helpless and bleeding to death before Imoen surprised Sarevok and killed him with a vicious attack that nearly decapitated the large man. If it were not for Imoen's quick thinking and skill with her knives Jeral would have been the corpse dissolving into ash instead of the leader of the Iron Throne. Saved by his sister, how very embarrassing. Even in Jeral's dreams he could not make himself the hero. In his present condition Jeral liked his dreams even when they did not end as he wished, for reality was so much worse. So very much worse.

"Ah, the child of Bhaal has awoken. It is time for more experiments."

Every time the man arrived at Jeral's cage he spoke those same words in a deep chilling voice. With those words came the pain; nothing but pain. Jeral's captor called them 'experiments' but to Jeral they were just the sadistic games of a twisted madman. There was pain by fire, pain by ice, pain by lightning and pain by acid. Pain by magics he could not even begin to comprehend. Far worse than the magical tortures were the horrors of a much more mundane nature.

It was the knives that made him tremble most of all. Simple, non-enchanted, razor sharp blades could reduce him to a quivering mass of jelly. How many times had Jeral cried for mercy as the man threatened to cut an eye out, or worse, cut his manhood off? The floor of his cell was red with dried blood encrusted on the floor. His blood. The madman would cut and cut and cut until Jeral passed out from the pain. Jeral awoke each time, his wounds healed but always the pain remained. Even the scars quickly faded and then disappeared each time Jeral lay unconscious on the floor of his cage.

Unbidden Jeral's mind drifted back to his capture and his dear friends. Somehow Jeral was captured with all of his traveling companions, plucked from their well guarded snowy encampment, captured with contemptuous ease. Initially each of the others was caged close by. Imoen his sister, the pink haired girl who had saved Jeral's life when she nearly decapitated Sarevok. Dynaheir, the powerful mage who was Imoen's mentor, a master of fire magic, and a trusted traveling companion since Jeral and Minsc had rescued her from death at the hands of a pack of gnolls. Minsc, the large ranger who was Dynaheir's protector and keeper of the miniature giant space hamster Boo. Niklos, the son of Endar Sai the leader of the thieves' guild in Baldur's Gate, and Imoen's husband, rounded out the five that were captured.

During the first few weeks after their capture Jeral tried to keep everyone's spirits up by shouting encouragement to his companions and recounting tales from all the books he read back in the great library that was Candlekeep. In an effort clearly designed to shake the nerves of Jeral and Minsc the people they cared about most in the world were removed from the main chamber. The day Imoen and Dynaheir were dragged from their cells was a dark one for Minsc and Jeral. Niklos was removed a few days later leaving Minsc and Jeral and the only two caged in the large chamber. Moving forward Jeral and Minsc had to endure their own individual torments but they also worried about their loved ones and not knowing how they were ensured that everyone feared the worst. Worrying for the others caused worse pain than worrying about one's self. After a few weeks Minsc was pulled from his cell. When he returned he was locked in his cell and additional chains were added to his cell. Clearly whomever had taken Minsc out of his cell had no plans to ever let him out again.

Jeral eventually lost all track of time, day and night had no meaning anymore. He remembered that their capture occurred during the first weeks of winter but had no idea of what season they were in now for he had lost all track of time while in captivity. The chamber that was their prison was always dimly lit by magical means and what meals they did receive appeared to come at random times to prevent them from settling into a pattern. No two meals were identical; each was a foul looking gruel of indeterminate ingredients but they never tasted the same. One meal was bland and the next was so spicy as to burn on the way in and on the way out. Each meal smelled horrible and tasted worse, but it was preferable to starvation, although not by much. Jeral forced himself to eat every last morsel to try and keep his strength up. Despite eating everything he could Jeral felt the constant gnaw of hunger and watched as his already taut frame grew ever thinner.

Never before had Jeral wanted to die, but he was slipping deeper and deeper into despair and hopelessness. His spirit, normally so strong and unyielding, was becoming weaker and weaker. Even the voice that was often in his head had gone strangely silent. That voice was not always welcome but how he desperately wished it was there now. How he wished for a flash of the rage and strength that had come to him in many a time of need in the recent past.

Jeral had been caged long enough to lose weight and all color in his skin. His tan was gone, replaced by an unnatural pallor; and his clothes had been reduced to rags that hung off his emaciated frame. He knew his spirit was close to breaking as well. He feared that he would die in this cage. Jeral knew that once he lost all hope he was already dead and his actual death would soon follow. Hope remained, but only just.

The noise woke Jeral and he sat up with a start as he looked around, wildly fearing that his torture was about to resume. Hunched against a wall of his cage he shut his eyes as bright mushrooms of light and fire exploded at the far side of the room. Jeral could vaguely make out cloaked humanoid shaped figures; figures that were quickly blasted out of existence by an intense magical fire. The screams of the dying terrified Jeral and reminded him of his own screams. He clapped his hands over his ears to block out the noise and closed his eyes as tightly as he could.

"Something is happening," Jeral muttered to himself.

 _It could not be a rescue could it? If so who was coming to save the day?_

With a start Jeral felt a jolt of energy run through his body as hope swelled within him. Regardless of what was coming next Jeral would face it head on with dignity and courage.

Jeral stood up in his cage and started stretching out his sore and hunger ravaged limbs. He had stopped taking care of his physical fitness recently and now realized that was an error. His foster father Gorion always said, ' _Hope is not dead until the person is dead_.' Jeral was determined to be ready should he have a chance of escape and he started fantasizing about killing his captor as he worked to loosen up and prepare for whatever was about to happen.

As he stretched and paced in his cell Jeral felt an almost forgotten heat return to his body. As a Bhaal child Jeral carried the blood of the Lord of Murder in his veins. Usually Jeral was ashamed of his parentage and worried that the darkness would pull him off the path Gorion had laid out for him. But in this moment Jeral embraced it. He was determined to survive and escape his cell and visit his retribution upon his captors. He clenched and unclenched his fists as he felt the heat of rage start to course through his veins.

Across the room a door slowly slid open with a groan as poorly oiled hinges squealed in protest. Jeral saw a hooded form try and fail to smoothly glide from shadow to shadow as it moved across the room. He recognized the movements immediately as those of his sister Imoen. _She never did learn to move quietly_ , Jeral mused as he watched her approach. Imoen was an exceptional thief where traps and locks were concerned; however as a scout or a burglar she was absolute rubbish for she lacked the patience and discipline required of a scout. Her fondness for ridiculous impractical footwear and loud colors did not help the situation either. All that was forgotten as he watched Imoen approach. The hooded figure Jeral took as Imoen was heading right for him. The figure stepped right up to his cage. The hood slid back to reveal….

Jeral awoke to a hand slapping him across the face, hard. Swatting the hand away Jeral angrily sat up.

"Imoen? Is that you? Can it be? I was so worried? And stop hitting me!"

The two siblings entwined into a tear filled embrace. After a few minutes Jeral composed himself enough to disengage from his sister's grasp. Looking at Imoen he paused to take her all in. She looked terrible. She had lost weight and her hair and clothes were dirty and disheveled. With no access to dyes to color her hair Imoen's hair was a mass of faded pink that yielded to light brown roots. Imoen's face was clean and unmarked. Whatever tortures Imoen had to endure did not leave a mark on her. Jeral knew more than to hope that Imoen had escaped without torture in such a place; particularly when he looked her in the eye. Imoen never lacked for an exuberant gleam in her eyes. Yet now Imoen gazed back at Jeral with eyes that showed only pain and despair. Despite the pain Imoen managed to retain some portion of her sense of humor.

"Well if nothing else we are out of the snow," Imoen quipped.

Jeral started to laugh uncontrollably despite himself. Regardless of the horrors Imoen had clearly endured she had not lost at least some of her fire and exuberance. Brother and sister together again. Suddenly anything felt possible.

Smiling Jeral stood and helped Imoen to her feet as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"With the two of us reunited I am sure we are in for better things ahead."

"Good because I have to get out of here, big brother. We have to get out of here."

"Agreed. Not that I am complaining Imoen but how did you get free?"

"I was passed out in my cage and awoke to a sudden loud noise. There was fighting and explosions everywhere. It looks like someone is attacking this place. One of our captor's golems was destroyed and fell onto my cage. He bent the bars when he fell, and I was able to wiggle free. There is a room over there with some equipment. I think he probably sold most of our stuff but it should help us have a fighting chance to get out of here."

"A chance is all I need. Minsc is nearby as well and there is definitely safety in numbers."

"Well we need everyone we can get to help us get out of here. He captured us easily enough and we are weaker now without our caravan guards and all of our equipment."

"True sis, I still am not sure how that happened. No matter, we are free of our cages and will soon be free of this terrible place. Freedom and revenge are what I will have!"

"I don't want revenge Jeral, I just want to find Niklos and get away from here."

"Don't sorry sis, we will find your husband and get all of us out of here."

Smiling Jeral realized that his little voice was back in his head. He realized that he had missed it.

' _Child, you must gain power or you and your friends will never be safe.'_

Nodding grimly Jeral realized that was exactly what he must do.

' _And power shall get you revenge.'_

The siblings quickly walked towards the cage that held Minsc. It was the same size as all the other cages Jeral had seen but it had been reinforced with additional bars and chains. Minsc sat cross legged in the middle of the cage in an apparent trance. Jeral and Imoen watched the big man in silence for a moment. His massive frame looked shrunken as hunger had taken its toll. In addition, his usually clean shaven face and head were covered by a tangled mass of wild brown hair and a massive unkept beard. His purple facial tattoo was barely visible under the unkempt mop of hair. Suddenly a small rodent sat up atop Minsc's head. It was barely visible over all the bushy hair.

"Boo!" The siblings exclaimed in unison.

Squeaking happily, Boo bobbed up and down and then disappeared into the folds of the ranger's tunic. With a yelp Minsc opened his eyes and looked around wildly.

"Why has Boo bitten Minsc?" he cried. Realizing that he was not alone Minsc looked up. His eyes went from fearful to thrilled.

"Jeral and Imoen! Joy of Joys! Minsc and Boo are no longer alone for the siblings are with us! You are free! Free me and we will be on our way to administer the boots of justice to the behinds of evil!"

"Where is Dynaheir?" Imoen inquired.

Not waiting for an answer Jeral looked at the cage.

"Minsc, this cage has been welded shut; I am unsure how to open it."

"Minsc has failed his witch." Minsc wailed, fell to his knees, and broke down sobbing. His tears fell wetly to the floor as he wailed in pain.

"What do you mean Minsc?" Imoen asked.

"The bad man, he killed Dynaheir and made Minsc watch. He called her irrelevant to his experiments and cut her head off without any hesitation. After that he locked Minsc in this cage and said Minsc would never get out. Minsc has failed on his dijema. He has failed his witch. He can never return to Rashemon."

With that Minsc dropped his head down and resumed his sobbing.

Jeral looked down at the large ranger and placed his hands on his hips.

"Minsc, your tears show you are week. You were not worthy of a witch such as Dynaheir."

Jeral snapped at the crying man in a voice dripping with disdain and scorn.

Minsc snapped up his head and anger gleamed in his eyes.

"Come Imoen, let us leave this weakling. I am sure that Boo will be the next to die in front of Minsc. If he cannot protect his witch what hope does he have to protect that little rat."

"NOOOOOO! No one harms Boo and he is not a rat! He is a miniature giant space hamster!"

"Whatever you say weakling. He dies next. Imoen we should leave. This one is worthless to us."

With a roar Minsc leapt to his feet and grabbed the bars of his cage. He screamed ferociously, gritted his teeth and veins sprouted on his forehead as he shook and shook the bars. Spittle and foam shot from the ranger's mouth as he rattled his cage to and fro. Amazingly, rivets began to pop, chains began to stretch and bars began to bend. With one final roar Minsc literally tore his cage apart. Throwing the metal remnants of the cage aside he lunged for Jeral. He grabbed Jeral around the neck and lifted him off the ground with one great arm. Jeral tried to speak but could not. Jeral pounded on the arm holding him as he struggled for air. Imoen was hanging on Minsc's back screaming for him to let go but the enraged giant did not hear her cries. Boo trotted along Minsc's forearm and then perched himself atop Jeral's head. Sitting up, he squeaked once and then a second time. Minsc blinked once, twice, and dropped Jeral to the floor where the bard lay gasping for air.

Shaking his head Minsc boomed, "OOOOhhhhhhhhh you are a smart one, making Minsc angry so he could break free. Minsc did not understand but Boo explained it to Minsc. Jeral is so smart."

Slowly picking himself off the ground, and rubbing his sore neck, Jeral grinned crookedly. "I don't feel so smart right now. By the way big fella, how did you manage to keep Boo with you?"

"Minsc is so large and Boo is so small and wiggly so it was easy to keep Boo hidden from all who searched Minsc."

"Ewwwwww, I do not even want to think about that."

Imoen wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Laughing Jeral added, "I suspect Boo was none too pleased by that either."

Smiling the group followed Imoen's lead and headed towards the supply room where Imoen had located some equipment earlier. As they rounded a corner they noticed another cage sitting alone in an alcove. As they approached the next cage they noticed someone curled up in a ball in the cage. The person did not move at the sound of their approach. Imoen quickly picked the lock with a piece of wire she found on the floor and swung open the cell door. The hinges screamed in protest; clearly this cell was last opened months ago. The sound of the door opening caused the body on the floor to tense. The person on the floor leapt to their feet and quickly assumed a fighting stance.

Jeral instantly recognized the person before him as the half elven druid Jaheira who they traveled with briefly in Nashkel. She leapt towards Jeral with her hands curled into fists.

"You! You are the reason we are here."

Jaheira swung wildly at Jeral and the bard bobbed his head from side to side easily evading the woman's wild blows. Minsc quickly stepped in and wrapped the woman in a bear hug. Jaheira struggled wildly against Minsc but was not match for the large man's strength.

Imoen stepped forward and yelled at Jaheira.

"Calm down Jaheira. We have a chance to get out of here if we keep our heads."

Jaheira took a few deep breaths and stopped squirming in the ranger's arms. Sensing the danger had passed Minsc released his grip and stepped back from the woman. Dusting herself off they recognized the haughty bearing of Jaheira return immediately as she regained control of her emotions. Even in captivity she had lost none of her abrasiveness or aristocratic manner. The last time Jeral was in Jaheira's presence the meeting did not end well. Her husband was felled by a throwing axe from an assassin. The axe was meant for Jeral but he managed to evade the blow, Khalid was not so fortunate and the axe nearly split open the Harper's chest. Jaheira took the body back to the Harpers and apparently managed to have Khalid returned to life.

"Hurry child, we must get free. Once again you are the cause for our pain and suffering. Khalid and I were taken from Tethyr and interrogated extensively. Our captor was interested in learning all about you and your abilities. I can only assume he used that knowledge to help plan for your capture. I am concerned that our captor may return and I have not seen Khalid for some time."

"I am sure he is hiding under a bed somewhere."

"Jeral, I do not appreciate your ill timed jesting. Khalid has courage enough for ten men, as you well know."

"Forgive the jest; you know I hold your husband in deep regard. We both know I like him far more than you. He was always kind to me and he taught me the basics of sword fighting. I am forever in his debt. Let us find your husband and free ourselves from this place. After that we can never see one another again."

Jaheira snorted her agreement and followed the other three into the equipment room. They entered the room and froze when faced with a large golem made entirely of stone. The massive creature slowly turned to face the quartet.

"The prisoners must return to their cages" it rumbled in a deep gravelly voice.

"No."

Imoen added emphasis to her answer by sticking her tongue out.

"The prisoners must return to their cages."

"Well he is not squashing us so I guess we can safely ignore him for now."

Jeral started searching the room and the others soon followed suit. In a locked and trapped wall panel Imoen located a lightly enchanted dagger. She quickly handed the blade to Jeral and wiped her hands on her pants after she did so. In a chest and on a table they located arms and equipment suitable for all of them. The items were well made but not enchanted in the least. Minsc strapped on a suit of splint mail and picked up a large two handed sword and an open faced helmet. The armor was straining to contain his massive frame even at his reduced size.

Jeral chuckled despite the gravity of their situation at the sight of the ranger trying to get comfortable in the overly tight armor.

"Don't fret Minsc. Once we are out of this place we will all get proper equipment."

Jaheira grabbed a suit of chain mail armor and a quarterstaff. She twirled the staff around a few times to get comfortable with it and then nodded grimly. Jeral had the option of the only two remaining sets of armor and tried on a suit of studded leather. The armor fit well enough even though it would offer less protection than the chain mail armor he preferred. He belted a long sword around his waist, strapped a short sword on his leg, and tucked the enchanted dagger into his belt.

"Jeral, can you cast spells in that armor?"

"Unfortunately not Imoen. Although in this case it really does not matter since I do not have any spells memorized. And as you always like to remind me I do not know that many spells anyway. Scrolls and wands tend to work best for me. Let's face it. Since you took up magic you have already outclassed me in that regard. You are well on your way to becoming a great mage."

Imoen smiled shyly at the compliment and picked up a sling and a small pouch of sling bullets from the table.

After equipping themselves as best they could with the equipment on hand the four slowly, carefully, started to move through the prison complex. They faced numerous bands of goblins that apparently served as roving patrols in the facility. Normally goblins would be easily dispatched but in their weakened, poorly equipped, condition they were quite the challenge. Fortunately they were able to stumble across some healing potions and scrolls that added to their capability. They ended up criss crossing the complex numerous times running what Jeral could only call 'errands for treasure.' They had fought a band of deep gnomes, recovered the dryad's acorns, freed a djini in exchange for Serevok's massive two handed sword, and had thoroughly searched both of the bedrooms that belonged to their captor.

Irenicus.

Irenicus.

Irenicus.

The devil now had a name according to the captive dryads. Through the course of their travels they now were slightly better equipped. Minsc wore the mighty helm of Baldurain and wielded Sarevok's enchanted two handed sword. Someone had apparently stolen the blade from the throne room of the Duchal Palace where the Grand Dukes had placed it on display. With Sarevok dead some of the enchantments died with him but it was still a fearsome weapon in the hands of the large ranger. Jaheira wore enchanted chain mail, a normal helm and wielded a lightly enchanted quarterstaff. Imoen now carried a lightly enchanted sling and wore enchanted bracers to afford her some protection. Her spell casting ability was far greater than Jeral remembered it prior to their capture. Jeral was equipped as before except he had picked up a slightly enchanted long sword to replace the non magical weapon he previously wielded.

After they had completely searched the first level of the facility they realized that they needed to step through a magical portal to leave the level. After preparing for a battle they stepped through the portal. After a few seconds they found themselves in a room that looked much like the one they just left. As the party regained their bearings they saw a man approach. He was dark skinned with Kur Turan features and long black hair tied back in a ponytail. He wore well fitted leather armor and carried a short bow. An ornate katana was slung low off his belt. Smiling, Jeral stepped forward and inquired on who the stranger was. Despite the odd surroundings and situation of their meeting Jeral instantly liked the stranger and felt he could depend on him.

"I am the Yoshimo."

"Great. So 'the Yoshimo' what are you doing here? And do you know where here is?"

The Kur Turan looked down and blushed.

"I am ashamed to admit I am a prisoner here, much as you are from the looks of things. I escaped when fighting erupted near my cage and I am trying to find a way out."

"Where are we?"

"That good sir, I do not know. I was captured in Athkatla, over a week ago, but do not know where we are now. I merely went to sleep in my room and awoke here. "

"Well the city of coin gives us an idea where me might be, and that is more information than we had previously. Well met sir. I am Jeral, this is my sister Imoen, the Lady Jaheira and Minsc." After hearing a squeak of indignation he hastily added, "and that is Boo." Yoshimo bowed to each in turn and even gave a small bow to Boo.

"I know something of this level as I was not blindfolded when I was brought in earlier this evening. Whatever they did to me wore off earlier that they expected. The room beyond is guarded by numerous small winged creatures that spit flame. There are four cages that create the creatures. I think if the cages are destroyed then the creatures will be as well."

Groaning Imoen moaned, "I am getting to hate Mephits."

"There is a room beyond that which is heavily trapped but that was all I was able to see. May I join with you and fight our way to freedom?"

"Very well Yoshimo. Join us and let us all find a way out of here. Minsc, you and Jaheira keep the Mephits busy. Imoen, Yoshimo and I will attack the cages to keep their numbers down. Any suggestions?"

Smiling Imoen quickly murmured a few words and three hobgoblin swordsmen appeared.

"Like you said brother, safety in numbers."

The hobgoblins were instructed to support Minsc and Jaheira. Imoen opened the door and the newly expanded group charged into the room, weapons at the ready. It was exactly as Yoshimo described. There were four cages along the right side of the room and a mephit popped out of the closest one just as they entered the room to join the four already in the room. Minsc bellowed and waded into the mephitis. His great sword sliced one in half on the first blow. Jeral ran towards the far side of the room while Yoshimo attacked the cage closest to the door. Jeral hacked at the far cage with his long sword until he finally broke the cage and it collapsed in upon itself. He turned to attack the next portal and faced a mephit that was emerging from the portal. Before he could strike the creature opened its mouth, a jet of light hit him, and all went dark.

 _Splash!_

Jeral awoke sputtering as Minsc dumped a full skin of water over his head. They had found food and water in the bedroom belonging to the mage Irenicus and after gorging themselves they had brought the remaining supplies along.

"What happened?"

Jeral looked around and saw the corpses of dead mephits everywhere. Jaheira was busy using her limited healing spells to close numerous small wounds on Yoshimo.

"Bad thingies made Jeral sleepy with bright lights."

Slowly getting to his feet Jeral clapped Minsc on the shoulder, "Thanks friend, I always know you are there for me."

Beaming Minsc started to wipe the gore off his sword with a rag as Jeral started to look around the room. They were in a large room with a stone table in its center. On the table was the rotting corpse of a man who had been split open and emptied out. Now that the rush of battle had faded the stench of the corpse was clearly noticeable to Jeral and the others.

Jaheira walked over to the table to examine the corpse.

"Well he has been dead for some time. Most clearly dissected after death. Pour soul."

The cold tone in her voice stopped and was replaced by a muffled cry of anguish. Jeral had never heard Jaheira so upset or clearly out of sorts.

Jeheira staggered away from the table clutching her hands against her face.

"No it cannot be! Where are the mirrors? This must be an illusion. This cannot be Khalid, my husband, my love, my life. This cannot be."

Jeral stood next to her and tried to gently place a hand on her shoulder. His hand was roughtly slapped away.

"Do not dare touch me foul Hell spawn! It is due to your unholy bloodline that a good man lies dead. Why should a good man die while an abomination such as you shall live? Where is the justice? Where is the balance in that? I will speak no more of this. Silvanius, guide my life and grant Khalid eternal peace until I can join him."

She then bowed her head and remained motionless for some time. She finally raised her head and faced the party.

She took a deep breath and spoke in a voice barely above a whisper, "Let us be off, we still are in danger here. I will mourn when there is the time."

Imoen clasped her hands in front of her stomach and looked down at the floor as she spoke in a voice that barely qualified as a whisper. "Jaheira I, I, I…"

"Out with it child. Stop stammering like an imbecile."

Imoen nodded and inhaled deeply before she spoke in a low steady voice. "I was with Khalid when he died. He was cut open while still alive."

"What nonsense is this? If you were with him why is he dead and you are not?"

"Our captor, the mage known as Irenicus, he said that in order for me to reach my full potential I needed to understand pain, understand suffering. He kept saying that I was too cheerful to maximize my powers and that he had to expose me to true darkness."

"What powers Imoen? What are you talking about?"

"I have no idea Jeral. I can just repeat what I heard day after day. Irenicus never touched me. He just made me watch as he tortured and killed dozens, maybe hundreds. Day after day nothing but death; and in each case he used knives, my knives. My blades became his instruments of death. It is my fault so many died. My fault."

Imoen fell to her knees and buried her face in her hands as her body was wracked with sobs. Jeral knelt down and pulled her into a close embrace.

"Sshhhhhhh, it's ok Imoen. We will be free of this place soon. We can put this all behind us. Do not blame yourself. You did not kill anyone."

Imoen looked up sharply and pushed Jeral away.

"That is where you are wrong. I have blood on my hands, Khalid's blood. I… I…I killed Khalid."

Jaheira stepped forward and roughly pulled Imoen to her feet.

"What did you just say child? YOU killed my husband? Explain yourself and do it quickly!"

Imoen sagged in Jaheira's grasp, "Khalid was lying there on the table. Irenicus had sliced him wide open. He was liberally pouring healing libations down his throat to keep him from dying too quickly. Khalid locked eyes with me and begged for me to put him out of his misery. He begged me for death."

"So what did you do child. Please tell me."

All of the anger was gone from the Harper's voice as she clung to Imoen.

"Nothing. At least I did nothing at first."

"Why child? Why would you let my love suffer so? How could you be so creul?"

"Irenicus told me that the first time I looked away or interfered with any of the torture he would kill Niklos."

"And who is Niklos?"

"He is, or he was, my husband." Imoen fought back a sob as she thought of Niklos.

"Pray go on child."

"So Khalid lay there in agonizing pain, begging me for release, begging for death. I wept and told Khalid that he would soon feel no more pain. I begged Irenicus to put him out of his misery but he laughed at me and said that pity was a fatal weakness. He took his blade and sliced out Khalid's tongue so he could no longer beg for my aid."

Jaheira choked back a sob and Jeral watched as the blood drained from her face as Imoen continued her tale.

"Something in me finally snapped. Despite the consequences I had to grant him relief, I owed him that much. I grabbed up one of my blades from the table and plunged it directly into Khalid's heart. He smiled up at me as he died. I pulled the blade out and slashed it at Irenicus. He merely looked at me and I was suddenly held in place by a powerful incantation. He shook his head as if he was disappointed by my stubbornness. He commanded his golem to fetch Niklos and the monstrosity tore him limb from limb in front of my eyes."

A silence hung over the room as Jeral watched the two women mourn their lost loves. Imoen pulled herself to her feet and straightened her clothes as she composed herself. Wiping her face she smiled weakly at Jeral.

"After that Irenicus locked me away and I was forgotten about. Every time I close my eyes I relive their deaths. I see their suffering, and the blood. So much blood. I swore to myself that I would never shed an opponent's blood again. From here on out I will focus on my magical gifts and when forced to defend myself I will fight only with staff and sling. For my own sanity I can do no less."

In silence the party continued through the level. After fighting through a wave of pesky goblins and mephitis they entered the trapped room of which Yoshimo had spoken. Lacking most of the necessary wands to disarm the powerful traps the party could not cross the room so they entered the first hallway to their right. After a few hundred meters the hallway entered into the sewers of a major city. The heavily barred door had been blasted aside from the sewers granting someone, or something, entry into the complex.

"Looks like this is where the intruders came in. We owe them a debt of gratitude to someone for unknowingly aiding in our escape."

Jaheira silenced any additional conversation with a rage filled glare at Jeral. Once they entered the sewers they were confronted by three opponents. They were men wearing dark clothes and wielding small knives and bows. The party quickly dispatched them after they refused an offer of parley. Jeral noticed that one of the passages sloped upwards and Mince firmly stated that Boo could smell fresh air. The five trudged slowly upwards. Their excitement of potential escape was tempered by the loss and the pain they had all endured. Minsc thought of Dynaheir and fought back tears. After what seemed like walking for miles they finally saw sunlight ahead.

Throwing caution to the wind Imoen let out a squeal of delight and took off at a dead run for the sun.

"Free, free, we are free!" she cried and she sprinted towards the bright daylight. Minsc took off at a loping gait to follow Imoen. Yoshimo picked up his pace to keep the big ranger in sight. Jeral and Jaheira were left alone in the heavy shadow. They slowly walked along in silence.

"Jaheira, words cannot express how sorry I am for your loss."

"That is correct Bhaalspawn, so speak no more."

"Wait a minute, Khalid was my friend."

"Well he was my husband and you killed him! His blood is on your hands for were it not for our relationship with you he would still be alive."

Before Jeral could reply angrily he heard a tremendous explosion up ahead followed by Minsc bellowing "go for the eyes Boo!" Jeral took off at a dead run heading for the commotion. Jaheira merely trotted along as before. She was without hope and seemed indifferent to her fate and that of the others. Jeral reached the scene of the commotion and skidded to a stop in a pile of rubble.

Minsc, Yoshimo and Imoen were standing stock still; they were watching a battle unfold before them. In truth it was less a battle and more a slaughter. A well muscled mage was standing in a circle of rubble and was dispatching dozens of dark clad assassins with little more than a wave of his hands. _The muscular mage must be Irenicus_ , Jeral mused. Wave after wave of magic flew. Some of the assassins were burned, others disintegrated, others turned to stone but all were killed easily. Jeral realized his friends were not held in place by a spell but were overcome by fear and awe. Almost before it began the mage had dispatched all his enemies. He looked over at Jeral and company almost disdainfully.

Seeing Imoen he paused, "So child, do you like this lovely sunny day? The sun is good for your skin; it will bring some color back to those pallid cheeks. Although in good light your hair looks even more garish than I realized. Once I get you back to my lab we may have to find you a more suitable hair color before we renew my lessons with you."

With a blood curdling scream Imoen leapt down into the rubble.

"No one speaks ill of my hair fiend!"

She extended a hand and four balls of light, leapt out and struck the wizard in the side.

They stunned the mage but did no visible damage.

"Silly girl, you just do not understand the gifts you have been given. Very well, let me continue the lessons now, no need to wait."

With that he waved his hands and a bolt of energy lanced into her leg. She cried out in pain as acid began to eat away at her tattered clothes and the smell of dissolving flesh filled the air.

Enraged Imoen started to cast again, Jeral detachedly realized that Imoen had really improved her spell casting. Dynaheir had taught her a few spells in Baldur's Gate after the defeat of Sarevok but she had become much more accomplished in a short period of time. Before she could finish her spell, a half dozen grey robed mages teleported into view.

One held out his hands and haughtily spoke in a rich deep voice, "This disturbance is over. This is an unsanctioned use of magical energy, all involved will be held."

Jeral watched as Irenicus started casting spells against the grey robed mages. It was a slaughter. In short order he has killed the six opposing him. More grey robed mages started to teleport in. Irenicus boasted that their magics were pathetic. One mage stammered out "our numbers are many, you will be overwhelmed," just before he was blasted out of existence.

Wave after wave of robed figures teleported in; after the fourth of fifth wave Irenicus held up his hands in surrender.

"Enough!" he bellowed.

"You bore me magelings. You may take me in but you will take the girl as well."

"What? Me? No! I didn't do anything wrong." Imoen wailed in fear as a purple haze settled over both her and Irenicus. The wizards were in no mood to argue with the powerful wizard who had unexpectly surrendered. Before anyone could react, Irenicus and Imoen, along with the grey robed wizards, winked out of sight.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Minsc fell to his knees and started to wail. "Minsc has failed little Imoen, she was to be his new witch. Minsc must not lose another witch!"

Jeral patted Minsc on the back as he spoke.

"Come on big man, we will get her back. We need to find out where she is and then go get her. Your witch will return to your protection soon enough."

Yoshimo cleared his throat and spoke in a low voice. Jeral found his voice to be very soothing as he listened to the man.

"Jeral you sister has been taken by the Cowled Wizards. They are a powerful force in the city of coin."

"So are we in Athkatla in the nation of Amn, Yoshimo?"

"That is correct Jeral. This is the merchant district, the so called Waukeen's Promenade."

Jeral noticed that Jaheira had finally reached the end of the tunnel and stared dumbly ahead. He grabbed her gently by the arm.

Jeral looked around and took in his surroundings. He looked skyward and noted that it was mid morning. Jeral was unsure of the season but the heat was already equivalent to that of Baldur's gate in the summer.

"Yoshimo, you are familiar with this city are you not?"

Yoshimo smirked and nodded his head slightly.

"Intimately familiar."

"Are there lodgings nearby?"

"Yes there are two inns mere steps away. The Mitherest Inn and the Den of Seven Vales. My preferred lodgings are in the slums, more interesting clientele. The Copper Coronet is definitely an interesting establishment and worth a visit."

"Right now we need peace and quiet Yoshimo, let us try the Mitherest Inn and save the excitement for another day."

Yoshimo took the lead as the group walked up a few tiers on the Promenade and entered the Mitherest Inn. Merchants and servants alike gave them curious looks as they walked into the inn. It was clear to Jeral that they were woefully underdressed for such a luxurious tavern.

"Yoshimo, please secure us three luxurious rooms. We need to recover our wits quickly and the extra finery may help. I saw a store nearby called the Adventurer's Mart, would you mind selling a few of the extra items we have picked up along the way while the rest of us recover a bit?"

"Of course. I will see what I can pick up as well."

Yoshimo passed out keys to the rooms for the group and then smiled as he departed the tavern.

As he headed out Jeral watched the dark man glide across the floor. Finding Yoshimo was a stroke of luck; he seemed well skilled and very level headed. And that last comment verified that he was a light fingered man. With Imoen gone they had need of a thief and they always needed a good scout. It looked like Yoshimo could handle both of those duties with ease. He asked one of the serving girls to show Jaheira to her room and see her to bed.


	2. Nothing for free in the city of coin

_Bondari, thanks as always for the comments. I actually started writing this story first and then realized I wanted to start from the beginning with BG1. So I have had a handful of chapters sitting on the shelf for almost a year now. Just a matter of cleaning them up an editing them so they flow with the earlier story._

 _On with the story._

Chapter 2: Nothing for free in the city of coin

Day 1

Minsc and Jeral gorged themselves, remaining at the table in the luxurious common room of the Mithrest Inn for both a late breakfast and an early noon meal. They were well into lunch by the time Yoshimo returned to the inn from his trip to sell the group's excess equipment. He was whistling merrily and holding a large bag of coins. He lobbed the coin purse high into the air and it landed on the only bare space on the table with a resounding thud. Plates and silverware jumped from the force of the pouch striking the table.

Jeral wiped his mouth with a thick linen napkin, pushed back from the table, and opened the bag to examine the contents.

Raising an eyebrow he eyed the contents of the pouch and then the man standing before him.

"Not bad Yoshimo. I am impressed; I would not have thought the scraps of equipment and other odds and ends we wished to sell that valuable."

The bounty hunter bowed slightly and smiled broadly at Jeral.

"I believe that Ribald, the local equipment purveyor, did not get the best of Yoshimo today. My people are knows as extremely fierce negotiators."

The dark man flicked his wrist and a simple platinum ring landed on the table. Unfortunately Yoshimo's aim was off and it landed in a half empty bowl of oatmeal that remained on the table from their breakfast.

Jeral narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the ring. The heavy enchantments on the ring were impossible for Jeral to miss. Delicately, he pulled the ring from the bowl and cleaned it off with his napkin. Jeral looked at Yoshimo, the unspoken question apparent.

Yoshimo gave a slight nod of the head and smiled broadly, showing two rows of even white teeth.

"Consider this a gift, to show trust. This ring is imbued with the essence of troll and will allow you to heal wounds as a troll would. I suspect that a bard such as yourself would benefit from this more than any other since you tend to take much damage in battle."

Trying to keep a straight face Jeral asked, "What makes you think I am a bard?"

Smiling smugly Yoshimo was happy to show off his skills of observation and he sat down, leaned back in his chair, and crossed his arms behind his head.

"Ahhhhh my friend where to begin? You fight with a pair of blades, and not terribly well I may add, you need much more practice. For the way you wade into combat your chain mail armor is insufficient yet you clearly wish you did not need to wear it. You are quite strong and have the size for a fighter but there is more to you than that, much more. You move well and are very agile but are no thief. You kept collecting spell components in the dungeon, and you watched Imoen closely as she cast spells. Sometimes you even mouthed the words to the simpler spells she cast. So when one looks at everything you have shown what other possible explanation could there be?"

Jeral held up his hands towards the man in mock surrender, "Lucky guess Yoshimo."

Jeral held the ring loosely in his hand and traced his thumb over the surface. "So back to this ring, I assume you stole it."

Yoshimo smile disappeared as he stiffened and replied formally.

"Yoshimo is no common thief and I resent such an implication. I am a hunter of bounties and a rescuer of the virtuous."

His stern visage softened slightly and the hint of a smile appeared as he continued, "Although on occasion I may be forced to augment my funds through less than honorable means."

He motioned to the ring on the table.

"Put it on, cut yourself, and all will be revealed. Consider it a gift to the leader of my rescuers."

Looking dubious Jeral slid the ring on a finger on his left hand.

"I do not feel anything."

"Cut yourself."

"You must be joking."

"Trust me, a small cut is sufficient. It only works when required."

Looking dubious Jeral rolled up the ragged tunic he wore and drew a small knife across the top of his forearm, wincing as he opened a good gash. Almost immediately the wound began to heal and close up. Within moments the skin of the arm looked as if had never been touched.

"Thank you Yoshimo. This will come in very handy, for as you observed I do I have a nasty habit of wading into the front of every fight when I really should know better. I have reserved us all baths and you have your own room, I will share with Minsc."

"Excellent. If I may add one last thing Jeral?"

"What is it Yoshimo?"

"To err on the side of caution I would suggest that you refrain from wearing that ring openly in the Adventurer's Mart for that might cause a problem with the owner Ribald. He might misunderstand the situation."

"I suspect that he would understand the situation perfectly," Jeral chuckled, "however you do provide wise council and I will heed your advice."

The three men spent the rest of the day bathing, getting haircuts, and purchasing new clothes.

Following a heavy dinner and a good night's sleep the men reunited over breakfast. All three of them looked much better than they had the day previously. Minsc and Jeral both looked thinner than normal but other than that, and their pale skin, they were looking almost like their old selves. Minsc was clean shaven and his head was shorn of all hair so his massive tribal tattoos were visible on again on his head.

Jeral eagerly tucked into the plate of eggs and blood sausage on the table in front of him.

"Well I could stay here for weeks but that will not help us get Imoen back."

"And we would run out of money inside of a couple weeks good Jeral."

"Well said Yoshimo. I think we need to start finding out more about these Cowled Wizards and where they may have taken Imoen."

"The slums and the Government District would be the best places to start. The Cowled Wizards have representatives in the council building."

"What is of interest in the slums?"

Yoshimo blushed slightly.

"The local thieves' guild would like to meet with you at your earliest convenience. They say they may be able to aid you in locating your sister."

"Are you part of the guild Yoshimo?"

"No, I prefer to work independently of that fine establishment."

"It is safe to assume that the guild may be less than pleased with your free lance activities?"

Yoshimo nodded tightly and looked down at the table. "They have warned me that I should not continue to operate independently without their blessing."

"Well we shall visit them when there is time. I have some connections with the leadership of the guild in Baldur's Gate so that may help lessen their concerns about your activities."

"I do not want to burden you with my troubles Jeral."

Jeral smiled and poured Yoshimo a mug of ale from the pitcher on the table, "nonsense my friend. You have agreed to help me rescue Imoen, the least I can do is assist you in your troubles."

"That is most kind Jeral. I must say I am unused to such kindness."

"Well everyone needs friends to make it in this world. If it were not for my friends I would have died many times over in the past year. Shell we be off?"

"Very well Jeral but where is your sharp tongue lady friend?" Yoshimo inquired and he scanned the common room.

"She will not be joining us. She needs to mourn the death of her husband Khalid for a second time, and she blames me for his death both times."

Seeing Yoshimo's inquisitive glance Jeral quickly continued his tale.

"He died once months ago in Nashkel, killed by an assassin's axe meant for me. We almost came to blows then over her husband's death. If the priests in Beregost could not have raised him from the dead we would have killed one another. We will travel together no further. I have paid for her room for the month and left her share of the treasure in her room. What goodbyes we had to say were said last night. I also sent word to the Harpers that Jaheira is here and in need of their aid. I hope they receive my message and will come to assist her; but our paths will likely not cross again."

Wordlessly the three men left the inn.

Walking through Athkatla Yoshimo provided an overview of the city as they moved. With Minsc leading the way the dense crowds parted easily, allowing the trio a smooth path through the cuty.

"This is a city of distinct enclaves; there are districts for the Gods, the rich, the poor, the fishermen and even the dead. We have seen the district for the merchants. Where shall we go next?"

"Where can we find the Cowled Wizards Yoshimo?"

"I do not know where their order calls home Jeral but I do know that they have representatives in the Council Hall of the Government District."

"That will be our first stop then. Lead on Yoshimo."

The men walked through the vastness of Athkatla. As they neared the Government District they saw a short man briskly walking directly towards them. He work tight black trousers topped by a red shirt with billowing long sleeves and secured with a bright blue sash. An ornate long sword dangled from a sword belt slung low across his narrow waist. His gait and appearance marked him as a thief, or at least one who thought of himself as a thief. He walked right up to the three men and smiled broadly as he looked up at them.

"Coo. Are ye the ones looking for the lass Imoen? You fit certainly fit the description from the tussle at the Promenade."

Any hope Jeral had to remain casual and disinterested was doomed when Minsc boomed out,

"Minsc and Boo will free the good witch Imoen from the evil wizards and the scary one! Bright little man will show us the way!"

The short man took a half step back in response to the ranger's booming voice but he quickly regained his composure and smiled knowingly at the trio before him.

"Ah, I see I was not mistaken. I might have some information for you. Follow me."

Without a second look he turned on his heel and started walking briskly towards the slums.

Jeral and company headed after their unknown guide. After walking for a quarter hour they entered the Slums District. The houses were in poor condition and the smells of sweat, cooking, and human waste wafted heavily through the air. Yoshimo pointed out the Copper Coronet as they walked through the district. They watched their guide enter a small home that sat next to a large ship that was fully beached on the ground with no water in sight. Without a pause Jeral entered into the house. The sitting room was cluttered with various odds and ends stacked high on shelves around the perimeter of the room. Whomever this man was he looked to serve as a fence for at least part of the thieves' guild.

"I am glad to see you and your friends kept up."

"We kept up just fine. Now what do you know about Imoen?"

"First things first, allow me to do a proper introduction. I am known as Gaelan Bayle, I am renown throughout the city for my abilities with the ladies. I also buy and sell goods that one may be reluctant to take to the more narrow minded merchants. I represent certain parties in the city; parties that may be able to assist you and your lass Imoen. As you know she has been taken by the Cowled Wizards."

"We know that. I also know you are a thief and I suspect that your employer is as well. So if we know the same things why do I need you?"

"Ah true enough good sire. But do you know the location of the wizard's prison? Or even its name? Naught but the most senior of the Cowled Wizards, and my employer, know the information you require. You will need aid from my employer to gain access to your sister. So fret as you must but I do suggest you listen and listen well."

Jeral crossed his arms and stared at Gaelan Bayle. "So when can we meet your master?"

"Well he requires a certain amount of motivation to assist you and endanger himself by crossing a powerful group such as the wizards."

"Of course. So how much motivation will he require?"

"He is not unreasonable, 20,000 pieces of golden motivation should suffice."

Jeral could hear Yoshimo suck in his breath and Boo let out a squeak of despair. Jeral put on a brave face before he replied.

"That is a large amount of coin Master Bayle; however it should not prove to be a challenge. I suspect I can get as much for your employer for I have done so before. But I will require a few things. I need allies. I need equipment and I need opportunities to adventure to fund this rescue."

As Jeral ticked off his requirements on his fingers the short fence nodded sagely.

"I would suggest that you look at the Copper Coronet for allies, I know of at least two who are on the lookout for a strong sword arm. As for equipment, well this is the city of coin, buy or steal whatever you need for that is not my concern. For employment opportunities, there are many across the city that could make use of you three. I am sure Renal Bloodscalp at the guild could make use of you lot as well.

Jeral fixed the man with a stern gaze and nodded in agreement.

"Very well, we shall be back, tell your employer we accept the terms."

"Coo, that is good to hear sire. I will be awaiting payment. You may pay at once or deposit installments with me for safekeeping."

"I am sure the funds will be quite safe with you." The fence smiled and nodded in agreement.

Jeral stepped forward and leaned in close to Galen Bayle.

"And one more thing little man. Yoshimo works for me. Whatever issues the guild has with him are over, done. If I find the guild interfering in any way I will cause the guild to regret it."

Jeral's eyes flashed with a golden intensity as Gaelan Bayle took a step back and nervously nodded his agreement.

Wordlessly Jeral turned and left the building. Once joined by Minsc and Yoshimo Jeral patted his companions on their shoulders.

"Yoshimo, I think we all need a drink after that. The Government District can wait; take us to the Copper Coronet."

"Of course. Jeral, I thank you for your intervention with the guild. That may provide me the independence I require to work with you."

"Think nothing of it."

"Jeral I am unused to such kindness. I am in your debt."

"Well I am sure you will have the opportunity to save my life at some point; everyone else does. So that will assuredly even us out when the time comes."

"You have given me much to think upon Jeral."

Yoshimo lapsed into a contemplative silence as he led the group to the Copper Coronet.

After walking for a few minutes they came across two figures arguing in the street; a burly human and one bearded gnome, both armed and equipped as hire swords. As Jeral and company passed the large man spat at their feet.

"Keep your distance if you value your lives dogs! Soft men have no business in our presence."

"Are you talking to us good man? We wish no trouble."

Jeral had no desire to start a fight in the street over a minor insult.

"Wish away boy for you have found trouble!"

The human shouted a string of curses as he started to draw his sword. The gnome muttered under his breath and drew his blade as well to support his hot tempered companion

Jeral made to draw his blades but before he could make his weapons ready Minsc had cut the attacker cleanly in half with one horizontal swing of his two handed sword. He then pointed his gore covered blade at the gnome.

"Minsc protects Jeral. Little sword man must not fight for Boo does not like for Minsc to kill little things."

The gnome looked from the large armored ranger to the corpse of his colleague. Muttering his apologies he sheathed his short sword and slowly backed away from the three men. Once he was a half dozen paces away he turned and fled as fast as his short legs could carry him.

Yoshimo quickly searched the body while avoiding the spreading pool of blood and internal organs and triumphantly hefted a small coin purse.

"This should more than pay for drinks, dinner and lodging for this evening."

Leaving the corpse in the street they entered the Copper Coronet. Jeral looked back once to see the body as it was quickly stripped of all its clothes and equipment by dozens of people who suddenly appeared from the nearby alleyways and houses. Shuddering, Jeral hoped the corpse would not end up on the menu in the tavern as a mystery stew meat.

The Copper Coronet was crowded with patrons and extremely noisy even though it was barely mid-morning. Jeral shuddered to imagine the noise of the place in the evening. A permanent haze of smoke hung heavy in the room. Smiling Yoshimo said he was going to find a card game to join. Minsc went to watch since he loved games, and Boo was trying to teach him how to play cards. Jeral headed towards the bar shaking his head with the thought of Minsc playing cards.

The bard passed by a large man clad in highly polished, but low quality, splint mail. His armor was adorned with the symbol of Helm prominently displayed in the center of his chest. He bore a shield slung on his back and a mace hung off a belt at his side. Something about the man made Jeral do a double take. He noticed Jeral watching him. His darkly handsome bearded face formed into a scowl as he gave Jeral a once over. Seeing Jeral's chain armor and blades adorning his belt the man's face softened.

He stepped forward, puffed up his chest and proudly announced, "Greetings sire, I am Anomen Delyrn, priest of the Temple of Helm and Squire of the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart."

He was slightly taller than Jeral at six feet and must have been over two hundred pounds of solid muscle.

Jeral nodded ever so slightly in reply. "I am Jeral of Candlekeep."

The Helmite clearly did not recognize the name and sniffed slightly.

"Are you a force of justice and righteous?"

"Well that may be saying a bit too much for I will never be confused for a paladin. However I do try and help where I can."

"Do you have courage Jeral of Candlekeep?"

"What kind of question is that? Does anyone ever say they are a coward?"

"Well no. But it is a question one must ask for it is the proper thing to do."

"Well since everyone says they have courage what makes you think I will reply otherwise?"

"Are you saying you are a coward?"

Jeral groaned inwardly to himself. This pompous git could be a challenge. But he looked strong, and Helmites were known as reliable companions if you could tolerate them, and he did need a healer since Jaheira was no longer traveling with him.

Taking a deep breath Jeral forced a serious look on his face and replied formally, "When the cause is just I have courage in abundance. In fact I require comrades of great courage to free my dear sweet innocent sister from the clutches of a great evil."

He managed not to crack a smile despite the ridiculous tone of his own voice.

The large man beamed with pride and excitement.

"I would be honored to provide aid to such a heroic quest. This will assuredly aid me in my quest to gain notice and advancement from the Knights of the Order."

Jeral could not help but smile. Anomen was going to be a valuable companion.

"Welcome Anomen. Let me buy you a drink and then I will introduce you to the others."

If he could get the Helmite to relax a bit then he even might become a friend, someone to help him keep his spirits up in the dark days ahead.

The two men had not gone fifty feet when they were approached by a young woman clad in gilt encrusted mage robes of excellent quality. Her haughty mannerisms and erect carriage showed her to be of the nobility, however, she seemed a bit disheveled and out of sorts. She stood a little over five feet tall with dirty blond hair and pale blue eyes. She was quite attractive although she was not Jeral's type. He preferred women of a darker hue, a much darker hue.

"Won't anyone listen to my plea? You there pray hear my tale."

"Do not listen to this one Jeral; she has been here for days accosting every stranger who enters the bar. I fear that she is deeply in her cups."

"I am not in my cups you bearded baboon's ass! Rather I need help to save my family home."

"What do you require my lady? I am Jeral of Candlekeep."

Jeral slid between Anomen and the young woman to head off any retort from the Helmite.

The young woman quickly composed herself and curtsied to Jeral.

"I am the Lady Nalia de'Arnise. My family has some lands two days ride from here…"

Before Jeral could reply Anomen spoke again, this time in a much friendlier tone.

"I know of the Lord de'Arnise. He was a great adventurer in his younger days. The Knights of the Order say that he settled down to a life as a lord. He is known as a just and fair noble and his holdings are very substantial."

Anomen bowed deeply in front of Nalia.

"My lady, I am Squire Anomen Delryn of the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart and this is Jeral of Candlekeep. I apologize for my earlier rudeness. I had no idea you were from the finer class."

"Thank you for the kind words sir, although you should treat all well regardless of their station in life. As I was saying, our keep was attacked three days ago, my father and our soldiers were hard pressed to hold back the enemy when I managed to escape to find help. I need to return with allies to help save my home."

"We will be happy to assist you. Can you arrange for horses for five? We have a pair of stout companions that will aid you in your quest."

"Of course, I have friends who own the best stables in the city. When can you and your companions be ready to leave Jeral?"

"Say first light tomorrow? That will give us time to procure what equipment we need. Shall we meet at the gates of the city?"

"Yes. Thank you, I, I thank both of you. My father will be thrilled; there may still be time to save our home."

She hugged Jeral and Anomen in turn and dashed off to procure horses. Jeral looked over to see Anomen blushing furiously. Shaking his head in amusement Jeral led Anomen to the bar and grabbed an open pair of barstools.

Once at the bar Jeral and Anomen continued to get to know one another over tall tankards of ale.

Minsc and Yoshimo slid onto stools on either side and the four men introduced one another and traded stories over a long lunch. Jeral leaned back and watched the other three talk. Minsc was feeding Boo scraps of bread and crumbs of cheese on the bar. The big ranger and his hamster had been with Jeral since they had met in Nashkel so many months ago. They had saved one another's lives more times than Jeral could count and he trusted both the man and his hamster companion with his life.

His eyes turned to Yoshimo. The dark bounty hunter seemed almost too good to be true. He was clearly a skilled bounty hunter and his knowledge of the city and the relevant political intrigues would prove invaluable. Additionally, his prowess as a scout would likely save their lives time and time again since Jeral repeatedly learned the value of a good stealthy approach when chasing after Sarevok and the Iron Throne. Jeral had only known him for a day but already valued the opinions of the dark man.

Jeral lastly looked at Squire Anomen. The Helmite seemed like a strong and loyal ally, although he clearly was somewhat stiff and self important. All seemed like men he could rely upon to free Imoen. More importantly all three seemed to get along with one another, more or less.

 _Well they are not much but they are a start._

"Good fellows, I think we should take a walk and stretch our legs. Perhaps a stroll through the Government District is in order? Maybe ask about the Cowled Wizards?"

"Boo would love some exercise after eating so much bread and cheese. Minsc will go."

Yoshimo stretched languidly and stood up, as did the Helmite. The four left the Copper Coronet and headed to the Government District. After a leisurely half hour walk they reached the archway denoting the entrance to the Government District. After a brief discussion with the soldiers at the entrance to the district they were permitted entry. The district was marked by large estates, manicured gardens and a heavy presence of soldiers and bodyguards.

Yoshimo pointed towards a large three story building, "That is the government building for the city. The Cowled Wizards have representatives in there."

The party started walking in the direction of the building.

"Boo smells smoke," Minsc stated.

"Bah, that is probably merely lazy servants burning the lunch of some noble," Anomen scoffed.

"Good cooks are all too hard to find in this town."

"Boo says we need to head towards the smoke. Boo says we need to go right now. Boo says a friend of Jeral is there. A special friend. What does a special friend mean? Boo will not explain to Minsc."

"I do not know what special friend means either Minsc. But I do know better than to disagree with Boo. The last time I disagreed with Boo he left some little presents in my boots. The Cowled Wizards are not going anywhere; we can take a quick detour. Lead on Minsc."

The four men started walking briskly towards the far side of the district.

"We are approaching the prison," Yoshimo stated.

In front of the prison were three large wooden poles, each surrounded by piles of wood and dry brush.

"Anomen, I am unfamiliar with the laws here. What offense merits burning at the stake?"

"Jeral, no local crime merits burning at the stake. The stakes are used by the Bereshibans to burn heretics and blasphemers."

"I remember reading about their religious order back in Candlekeep; they are quite aggressive in their religious recruitment. Why is this sort of behavior allowed to occur?"

Before Anomen could answer Yoshimo chimed in.

"Jeral, the city of coin is all about the maintenance of a delicate balance. Every group in the city, the thieves' guild, the army, the merchants, the Cowled Wizards, each church, even the Order, vies for status and they keep one another in check. The city allows each group to balance out the others as a way of maintaining the peace."

The reference to the Order made Anomen scowl but he said nothing.

"Jeral, Minsc sees the pretty dark one on the pile of wood. Has she been bad?"

Viconia, it had to be. Minsc had always called her the "pretty dark one" during their short time together in Baldur's Gate. Their parting had not been amicable but Jeral missed her, and still found himself deeply drawn to her despite everything.

"It cannot be Viconia, last I heard she was going to buy a farm and settle down near Beregost."

"Minsc has very good eyes Jeral; it is the pretty dark one."

With that Jeral broke into a run. He did not look back but heard the clank of metal on metal that told him that Minsc and Anomen were following him.

Yoshimo caught up to Jeral. "I assume this is someone you know?"

Jeral grimly nodded as he raced for the prison. "Circle around to the back of the crowd and cover us with your bow in case things get interesting."

With a slight nod Yoshimo peeled off, slowed to a walk and started angling into the back of the crowd.

Jeral took it all in at a glance. There was a crowd of about a hundred, mostly nobles in their finery, in a rough semi-circle around the center stake. There was a Bereshebian priest who was spouting out how he had captured this dark temptress trying to kill and eat small children on the street. Viconia was cursing the man native tongue. Jeral had learned a few drow curses and never ceased to be amazed at their flavor. The drow might be a race of killers but their language had a true gift for profanity. He could see that Viconia was afraid but that she was also too proud and defiant to show any weakness in front of the crowd. She was drow and would be defiant even in the face of certain death. His eyes met hers. Her mask of defiance slipped for an instant as waves of recognition, hope, and relief flooded over her face.

"She must be scared, otherwise she would not have shown any emotion," Jeral muttered to himself.

Jeral slowed to a walk, gave Viconia a quick wink, and headed directly towards the priest. The priest was ranting about how killing the evil drow would protect the city and keep them all safe. The priest was red faced and sweating as he raged about the evil of the drow and how her death would protect them all. Jeral walked right up to face the priest. He stood mere inches from his face and stared at him intently. The priest tried to ignore him and continued his rant but he clearly was bothered by the close proximity of the stranger.

Jeral quietly muttered to himself and felt his strength and speed increase. _There are some upsides to having the blood of Bhaal_ in my veins, he thought.

"Can I help you good citizen?"

Jeral smiled slightly and nodded in deference to the priest. He had forced the priest to end his rant at least temporarily and focus on him.

"Yes you can my good priest, the drow here, what did she do?"

"Do? Do? Why would you bother to ask such an irrelevant question? She is drow, therefore she is evil. She did not have to do anything."

"I thought you said she was trying to kill and eat small children."

"So I did. She was captured before she could kill any small children."

"Oh I see so she wanted to kill and eat small children. Well that makes perfect sense then, nice job on the capture. Please continue."

With that the Bereshebian priest continued his rant.

"What! Jeral you cannot allow this!" Viconia screamed.

Jeral merely winked at her again and tapped the priest lightly on the shoulder. "Excuse me again my dear spiritual man."

"What is it now?" the priest replied, clearly exasperated.

"May I see your helmet good priest?"

"My helmet? Why do you want to see my helmet?"

"Well this is very embarrassing, and I know you are in the middle of a lovely rant, but a bird has soiled your helm and it is making your appearance less menacing and awe inspiring than it should be. As a devout follower I merely want to aid you in whatever small way I can."

"Thank you good sir." Smiling, the priest removed his perfecty clean helm and handed it to Jeral. He then returned to his rant. Jeral took the helmet and climbed up onto the pile of brush and wood heading towards Viconia.

"What are you doing man? Get down from there! I am about to call down a flame strike and cleanse her evil from the realm."

"I intend to use the robes of this foul drow to clean the excrement from your helm master priest. In that way she can serve some good for mankind before she dies a well deserved and fiery death."

"Excellent idea young man. Pray do hurry though.

"As you wish good priest."

Smiling Jeral walked up to Viconia. She was barefoot, clad only in a sleeveless rough spun tunic of cheap light brown fabric. Her long white hair was unbound and hung down over her face. Jeral roughly ripped at the bottom of her tunic and tore off a large strip of fabric revealing one very well toned shapely leg. Jeral momentarily lost his concentration as his eyes started at her bare foot and slowly scanned their way up. His gaze reached mid thigh before Viconia cleared her throat and snapped Jeral out of his reverie. Regaining his focus he made a big show of rubbing the helmet in the scraps of her tunic.

Trying to not move his lips he muttered, "Good to see you again. Could you use some help?"

"Your sense of humor is as grating as always human dog. Now cut me loose."

"Very well. Stay up here until I start trouble. When we are done here you own me an explanation, for this and many other things." Viconia merely nodded.

"I am going to check the ropes good priest. Drow are notoriously sneaky creatures."

He slid behind her and deftly sliced her ropes free using his dagger, the lightly enchanted blade sliced smoothly through the ropes. Viconia held the ropes together with her hands and gave no indication that she was free.

Jeral hopped down from the wood pile and walked up to the priest.

"Here is your helm O great priest. Good as new and shinier than ever."

He held the helmet out to the priest. The priest reached for it, but before he could grab it, Jeral dropped it on the ground.

"Ooops, how silly of me."

"You did that on purpose. Are you mocking me? No one mocks the great Zorgar!" The priest was turning beet red with anger.

Jeral stepped forward until their faces were touching. Through grated teeth he whispered to the priest, "I am mocking you, and for you it will only get worse. Much worse."

Jeral took a half step back, rocketed forward, and head butted the priest right in the nose. Jeral's Bhaal enhanced strength and speed ensured that his blow was a savage one. Bones and cartilage cracked and blood spurted out from his shattered nose, as the priest staggered back holding his injured face; all thoughts of casting a flame strike forgotten. Jeral shook his head to regain his bearings, drew his long sword and dagger and looked for any other threats. He saw two armed men allied with the priest on the far side of the crowd. Minsc was already charging them with Sarevok's Sword of Chaos flailing over his head. Yoshimo was supporting his charge with well aimed arrows that distracted the two soldiers as Minsc closed upon them. Anomen was following Minsc even though he was clearly confused by the unfolding events.

Viconia lightly leapt down from the pile of wood and walked over to the priest. He was holding his broken nose and was clearly in shock. She walked up to the priest and her grime encrusted heel lashed out at the side of his leg. His knee shattered with an audible crack and he collapsed to the ground. She leisurely bent over and unfastened his mace from his belt. She looked at the priest clinically for a moment and then swung the mace down on his skull, crushing it into a bloody pulp.

Admiring her handiwork for a moment the drow cleric stood in silence. The crowd has been watching the unfolding drama with rapt attention. Seeing the priest's head explode and seeing an armed drow was too much for the onlookers and they quickly fled, screaming at the top of their lungs. Clearly delighting in her ability to terrify Viconia cleaned the mace on the priests' robes and turned to face Jeral. He had sheathed his long sword and dagger and he saw Yoshimo looting the bodies of the guards dispatched by Minsc. Anomen was healing a small wound on the ranger's leg.

Jeral smiled, "Good to see you again Viconia." The drow smiled as she looked over the group.

"It pains me to apologize to a lowly male but propriety demands that I must. Thank you for the rescue. I once again owe you my life, _abbil_. For what it is worth I did nothing to provoke their attack. It seems many of the surfacers are unwilling to let me live in peace. So be it. Allow me to rejoin you and I shall fight by your side for it clearly is the will of Shar. Together we shall conquer all."

Smiling Jeral offered out his hand, "Welcome back Viconia, one of these days you can tell me why you left us in the first place."

Ignoring the last statement Viconia continued, "For an unwashed human male you do have some limited uses. But come, we must be on our way to avoid drawing another crowd. Where are the others? His witch and that annoyingly cheerful sister of yours?"

"Keep your voice down," Jeral hissed. "Dynaheir is dead and Imoen has been imprisoned by the Cowled Wizard and a sadistic mage named Irenicus. I intend to rescue her and kill him. I will explain more later."

Raising his voice he continued, "We had best leave before the guards come to investigate the situation. Please have dinner with us while I provide the full explanation. "

"Very well, _Sluiss_. Lead on."

Minsc and Yoshimo stripped the bodies and quickly walked off with their arms full of a set of plate mail and other assorted arms and armors.

The five returned to the Copper Coronet. Minsc, Anomen and Yoshimo went to the Adventurer's Mart to sell their goods while Viconia went shopping for some suitable attire. The five regrouped over an early dinner and formal introductions were made to one another. Surprisingly Viconia was readily accepted by everyone at the table. Anomen clearly had some reservations about the drow. But seeing her almost killed for no reason, combined with her exotic beauty had apparently made him at least temper his black and white views on the dark elves.

"So Jeral, it seems like you could use another ally in this idiotic rescue mission of yours. With only males for companions you would assuredly fail. I am currently between engagements, and Imoen is more tolerable than most surfacers. I would hate to see any harm fall to the annoyingly cheerful simpleton."

"So is that how the drow volunteer to undertake a rescue operation?"

"Mock me if you will Jeral. But know this well, Viconia, the last surviving female of House deVir can be a valuable ally or a deadly enemy as you well know. I was caught unawares by those fanatics and that will never happen again."

"Very well. Welcome aboard Viconia. We leave tomorrow morning so we had best get you some equipment."

Minsc gave Viconia the enchanted chain they had taken back from Jaheira. The chain quickly adjusted to fit the slight drow and she beamed as she stretched to get the feel of her new armor.

"Mail of the dead, how very appropriate," she purred. A closed faced helm, some clean clothes, a hooded cloak, sling, buckler and bullets completed her equipment.

While Viconia was purchasing her additional equipment Yoshimo left the table to book rooms for the night. He returned to the table with four keys.

"I took every room they had; someone will have to share a room tonight."

"No problem," Jeral volunteered, "I will share a room with Minsc. I am used to his snoring."

"Minsc does not snore!" A squeak from Boo caused Minsc to blush. "Boo says Minsc does snore, and loudly too. Minsc is sorry."

"Jeral, I remember how loudly Minsc can snore. No man should suffer that indignity if a better option exists. Sadly for you no better option does exist. Perhaps someday I will allow you to share my bed but not tonight. I have need of a warm bath and clean clothes more than the fumbling affections of an unwashed male."

Upon hearing Viconia's words Jeral could only stare with a stunned look on his face. Minsc and Yoshimo were trying not to smile while Anomen was blushing fiercely. Viconia stood and slowly made her way to the stairs. Every eye in the tavern tracked the dark beauty as she slowly strode across the floor. The clamor in the common room dropped to a soft whisper as Viconia slowly walked up the stairs. Once she was gone from sight the din quickly returned to the common room.

Anomen took a deep swig of ale and motioned towards the stairs. "That Viconia is not what I expected for a drow."

"She is quite striking is she not?"

Anomen glared at the bounty hunter and shook his head in frustration.

"That is not what I mean. She is attractive in an exotic way but that is not the unusual part. As a worshipper of Lloth the Spider Queen I expected my skin to crawl in her very presence. I expected Helm to command me to strike her down. Yet strangely neither happened."

"Viconia has renounced Lloth and now worships the Goddess Shar."

"How could you possibly know that Jeral?"

"Viconia has traveled with us before. She was forced to flee her homeland and was forsaken by Lloth. We encountered her alone in the woods and she provided critical aid in our fight against the bandits plaguing the Sword Coast. She saved my life when I was struck by a poisoned arrow in the bandit camp."

Yoshimo tired of the conversation and quietly headed off in search of a card game closely trailed by Minsc. Anomen and Jeral leaned in close at their table and focused intently on their conversation.

"So if she saved your life and served with honor why was she separated from you and Minsc?"

"Actually it is because of a fellow squire, a Helmite paladin named Ajantis. Do you know him?"

Anomen's face blanched and he dropped his mug onto the table as he started open mouth at Jeral. The ale spread across the table and started dripping over the edge onto the floor. Jeral grabbed a rag from a passing serving girl and mopped at the ale as Anomen continued to stare at him.

"Anomen, are you ok? You look as if you have seen a ghost."

Anomen unsteadily rose to his feet and took a step away from the table. He raised a trembling arm and pointed at Jeral. Jeral noticed that Anomen held his holy symbol tightly against his chest with his other hand.

"You. You are the one of which Squire Ajantis wrote."

Jeral leaned back in his chair and nodded slightly.

"While I cannot say what he wrote of I suspect he wrote truly."

The outstretched hand continued to tremble as he pointed at Jeral.

"By Helm, I stand before the Bhaal child that caused Ajantis such angst."

Jeral locked eyes with Ajantis and nodded grimly.

"Ajantis spoke the truth. I do have the blood of Bhaal in my veins. But believe me when I say that he does not control me. I have done everything I can to serve the greater good and resist the taint that flows through my veins."

"I cannot travel with you Jeral. I cannot risk having you pull me from my path."

Jeral rose to his feet and shook his head slowly.

"Squire Anomen, you sought me out, I did not search for you. I am on a quest to rescue my sister and destroy a powerful dark mage. If you travel with me you will have the opportunity to make a difference in the realm and aid the weak."

Anomen shook his head vigorously.

"You travel with a drow. Darkness surrounds you and flows within your veins. I cannot allow myself to be corrupted so, Helm will not allow it. The Order will not allow it."

Jeral sighed tiredly and shook his head slowly. Resigned to whatever happened Jeral spoke softly as he turned towards the stairs.

"Squire Anomen, think well on your path forward, pray to your Helm for guidance. Should you wish to depart I wish you all the best but we leave tomorrow to aid Lady Nalia in her quest to save her family home. I hope to see you when I break my fast on the morrow. Be well."

Jeral slowly made his way upstairs leaving a very confused Anomen in his wake.


	3. A Helmite and a Sharran walk into a bar

Chapter 3: A Helmite and a Sharran walk into a bar

After watching Jeral depart Anomen sat down heavily at the table and called for another ale from a passing serving maid. He quickly emptied his mug and called for another, and then another still. He was on his fifth mug of ale before he realized that he had best watch his drinking lest he lose control. It would not do for the Order to learn that he was part of a drunken brawl in an establishment such as the Copper Coronet. Embarrassed about his near loss of control he pushed his half empty mug out of arms reach and muttered to himself, "I am not my father. Drink has no hold over me."

"I have not known Helmites to talk to themselves, is this a common behavior amongst you pious surfacers?"

Anomen whirled around; scowling and ready to strike at whoever had the temerity to interrupt his solitude. He stared up into the face of Viconia and the rage quickly passed. The drow was clad in a loose dressing gown of black silk edged with purple satin. Her damp hair hung loosely around her shoulders and she had a green towel wrapped around her neck. The white of her hair contrasted sharply with the darkness of her skin and dressing gown. Without armor or weapons she looked far less menacing and evil than Anomen expected.

Regaining his wits, and remembering his manners, Anomen unsteadily lurched to his feet and held out his chair.

Bowing slightly Anomen motioned to his seat.

"My lady, this is no place for a woman alone, let alone a woman in her dressing gown. Please join me and allow me to serve as your escort in this den of vileness."

Smiling at his discomfort Viconia purred at the unsteady Helmite, "I assure you I am quite safe here Squire. I managed to flee the underdark and survive on the surface after Lloth cast me out. Handling a tavern common room full of drunken males in my night clothes is child's play. Should I wish it I suspect I could become the proprietor of this establishment by morning."

"Regardless my lady I must insist you allow me to escort you. Chivalry demands no less. Please be seated and join me."

Smirking Viconia smoothly slid into the proffered seat and regally commanded a serving maid to quickly bring a decanter of the best red wine. Anomen politely requested a glass of iced milk and took a seat across the table from Viconia. Terrified of the dark elf the serving maid raced directly to the bar bypassing all of her other customers.

"Iced milk is a drink for a child male."

Anomen smiled tightly as he warily eyed the drow across the table.

"I have much to think about and more ale will not make that any easier."

"What is there to think about? You males are generally such simple creatures. You lack the subtlety and layers of complexity of the stronger sex. Is it a woman that vexes you so?"

Anomen shook his head vigorously, "No. Not a woman. Well, yes it is a woman. At least she may be part of it. I am sorry that must not make any sense to you."

Their drinks arrived at the table and the pair paused while they each took a deep pull of their respective drinks. Viconia sighed contentedly.

"This is a very good wine, far better than I expected from an establishment such as this."

Viconia slowly twirled her wine around in her goblet as she eyed the Helmite.

"Squire Anomen, allow me to make a guess about some of your concerns."

"As you wish my lady."

"I suspect that I am part of your problem. I am drow and everyone knows we are an evil, murderous race that is lacking in any redeeming qualities. I might pull you from your righteous path and cause the Order to deem you unworthy of knighthood."

Anomen opened up his mouth to speak but Viconia quickly waved him to silence.

"Let me continue male. Last spring Jeral, Minsc, Imoen, your Squire Ajantis and a mage called Dynaheir saved my life. I was lost and alone in the woods and I was pursued by a mercenary who wanted to kill me simply because I am drow. I was not causing anyone any harm; I was merely looking to make a quiet life for myself and survive."

"I had no idea that was how you met Ajantis and the others."

"Yes, yes it was all very dramatic. They rescued me and in turn I joined their foolish little group and loyally fought by their side. I even saved a few of them from death using my clerical arts. Together we defeated a major concentration of bandits that were the scourge of the Sword Coast."

Viconia smiled tightly.

"You could even say I was one of the heroes who saved the day. Very unlike a drow wouldn't you say?"

"I am not sure what to say my lady."

"Well I do young Helmite. Listen to me and listen well."

Viconia downed her glass and poured herself another.

"The last time I encountered one of your ilk he refused to travel with me. He believed that I was the personification of evil and would be his downfall. Jeral and Minsc had to stop him from killing me on sight. Undeterred, Ajantis worked to isolate me from the group at every turn. He caused such a scene that I elected to depart the group to avoid violence."

Anomen smirked knowingly and leaned towards Viconia resting his elbows on the table.

"I know much of this tale. You did not depart,you fled; else Squire Ajantis would have killed you. His skill with a blade is well known throughout the Order. He has bested many a squire in a duel on the tourney field. I am one of the few who could stand before him."

Viconia's eyes flared and she angrily smashed her wine glass to the floor. The glass shattered into pieces but in the din of the common room no one paid any notice. Sneering she stared daggers at the Helmite as she rose to her feet. Placing both hands on the table she leaned forward and locked eyes with the young Helmite.

"You foolish male. You underestimate me; and you do so at your own peril. I have seen over five score of your winters. I am young by the standards of my people but I am ancient by the standard of yours. I have fought, and killed, countless humans. I have tortured countless more. Your Squire Ajantis would have died by my hand easily."

"My lady please sit down, I do not mean to offend you. I just honestly cannot imagine that you are in any way the equal in combat to one such as Ajantis."

Viconia slid back into her chair and regained her composure as she eyed the Helmite and she smoothed out her dressing gown on her lap. Viconia snapped her fingers and the serving maid quickly brought her a new glass.

"So I presume that I am not an equal in combat to you either."

"I cannot hind behind false modesty my lady, the dictates of chivalry will not allow it. I doubt you are a match for me in the martial arts. I have bested dozens of squires on the tourney field. I have fought against, and killed, hill giants and orcs when on campaigns with the Order. My abilities are well known throughout the Order and throughout the city. I am viewed as one of the most promising of all the Squires."

Viconia eyed Anomen critically for a few minutes as the pair sipped their drinks in contemplative silence.

Viconia nodded knowingly, "You are indeed large and strong for a male of your race. You are comfortable in your armor and well trained in battle. During my rescue I watched you closely, combat and the uncertainly of battle is no stranger to you. Yet rest assured, if we ever fight you will lose. You see me and foolishly only see a woman a head shorter than you and almost one half your weight. Yet do not assume that any of that will matter should you elect to cross me. I am drow, therefore I will lie and cheat and do whatever is necessary to survive. If I decide you are a threat to me I may slit your throat in your sleep. I will not challenge you to fair combat. Real life does not resemble the tournament field in any way. If you intend to survive in this world you had best learn that, and quickly. I assure you that there are many things in this world that are far worse than me."

Anomen blanched and coughed up a mouthful of milk.

"Know this Helmite and listen well for drow rarely admit mistakes. I, Viconia last of house DeVir, made a mistake last spring when I walked away from Jeral and the others. I decided that your Ajantis was too young and foolish to have to die at such a tender age. For my weakness I lost the protection of the others and the only true companionship I have known since arriving on the surface. I will not make that mistake again."

Viconia paused to grab a clean rag from a passing serving maid and hand it to Anomen.

"It is really very simple to understand even if it shames me to even speak the words. I cannot survive on the surface without allies. Despite all my powers and skills I have found myself captive at the hands of unwashed human males on multiple occasions. Today I was almost burned alive for the simple crime of existing. Traveling with Jeral and Minsc is the only way I can survive. And rest assured, I will do anything that is necessary to survive. Anything."

Viconia slowly rose to her feet and smoothed out her dressing gown. Softening her face she gazed down at the Helmite and spoke in a soft soothing voice.

"I have no interest in fighting with you Squire Anomen. I will fight loyally by Jeral's side for as long as he will have me. I know something of loss, that is part of what brought me to the attention of Shar. The Lady of Loss felt my pain and understood that I was a willing disciple of hers. She has graced me with gifts so I may repay those who have inflicted pain on me and those dear to me. I am no enemy of yours unless you choose to make me one. I have no issues with you or your Watcher God so long as you judge me on my actions and not on my race."

Anomen nodded softly as he eyed the drow cleric.

Viconia walked around the table and gently patted Anomen on the shoulder.

"Make no mistake Helmite, I was fond of Imoen and Dynaheir and will seek retribution against this Irenicus for the indignities he leveled upon those two. I cannot, I will not, allow a mere male to inflict pain on females of worth such as those. For that I will have my vengeance and woe to any who stand in my way."

Anomen quickly rose to his feet and nodded politely at the drow as he gazed down on her.

"You are not what I expected from one of your kind. You have given me much to think and pray about. Good night my lady. Sleep well."

Viconia strode to the stairs and headed upstairs to her room. Anomen remained up far longer sitting alone at a table and thinking about many things.

The following morning the party gathered early for breakfast. Anomen spoke little and seemed lost in thought but Jeral took his presence as a positive sign and left it alone. After a hearty meal Yoshimo entered the kitchen and purchased loaves of bread, sausages, and a large wheel of cheese for their trip. After packing those in their bags and filling their water skins the party set off for the city gates and their scheduled rendezvous with Nalia.

After a brisk 20 minute walk the party neared the approaches to the city gate.

Yoshimo slid up next to Jeral and spoke in a quiet voice. "Jeral, we are being watched."

"Thank you Yoshimo, I noticed that myself."

From a narrow alley just behind the party a half dozen people moved out of the shadows. A thin woman with a badly pockmarked face and clad in disheveled mage robes stepped to the fore in front of five heavily armed and armored men. Smiling she opened her arms wide and spoke in a high pitched voice.

"Morning all. Aren't you such a fine looking lot. Isn't it a lovely day for an early morning stroll? I certainly think so, it is always lovely to walk the streets before they get crowded with people. In case it was not clear to you this is the part where we will be taking all of your coin and gems. Right now if you please, can't have any soldiers coming upon us, that would be inconvenient. Since we are not heartless we will let you keep your equipment, and your lives."

Viconia laughed as she looked over the prospective brigands and pulled her hood back from her face. Her voice was laced with disgust as she spoke to the mage.

"Human dogs, you need to rethink this and quickly, Jeral and his friends are not easy prey. Run away and wait for some helpless old women, small children, or perhaps a blind man."

A few of the brigands took a step backwards at sight of the drow but their leader was unmoved.

The mage nodded her head slowly, "Very well," she clapped her hands and commanded, "At em lads!"

The woman waved her hands and suddenly was accompanied by another 4 exact images of herself. Minsc and Anomen charged into the armored thugs while Yoshimo started firing arrows at the female mage as quickly as he could. Jeral drew his long sword and dagger and strode towards the mage. Viconia stepped back from the fray and started calling to Shar. Once she completed her spell two of the thugs were held frozen in place. Jeral managed to reach the mage and started to cut his way through her mirror images. Between Jeral, Yoshimo and Viconia the mage soon fell to their combined attack. The three turned and started to assist Minsc and Anomen. Together the five made short work of the three remaining bandits.

Viconia picked up a short sword from the ground and used it to slit the throats of the two bandits immobilized from her hold person spell. Other than a few small wounds Minsc and Anomen were none the worse from wear. Anomen cast a few minor healing spells and he and Minsc were soon returned to full health. Yoshimo and Viconia quickly sorted through the gear on the bandits and made a pile of valuable equipment that merited further examination.

Yoshimo beamed as he stood up after collecting the valuable equipment. "Jeral, these were exceedingly well equipped brigands. They have been extremely successful in previous attempts."

Viconia smirked as she walked through the carnage, "They did not have success on this morn did they? Pathetic fools."

Jeral walked through the pile of equipment and examined the items closely. He narrowed his eyes and could see the presence of enchantments on many of the items.

"You are absolutely correct Yoshimo; we have a set of enchanted plate armor there, a set of well made regular plate armor here, an enchanted mace, a trio of enchanted short swords, a few scrolls and some coin. How long would it take to detour to the promenade to identify all the items and sell what we cannot use at the Adventurer's Mart?"

"It should not be a great delay."

"We had best hurry then, please lead on Yoshimo."

"Very well Jeral, just remember you may want to put your hand in your pocket."

Smiling, Jeral slipped the platinum ring off his finger and placed it in his coin purse.

Yoshimo quickly led the way to the Adventurer's Mart. Ribald verified Jeral's assessment that the plate was lightly enchanted as was the mace, and the three short swords. The party sold two of the short swords while Jeral retained the most heavily enchanted one as the weapon for his off hand. Minsc took the enchanted plate and Anomen the enchanted mace. Anomen also traded in his well polished splint mail for a new set of high quality plate mail. Jeral had a smile on his face as he left the shop.

 _Hang on Imoen. I have allies again, Viconia is back with me and we just made 1000 gold after expenses. I will raise the funds I need soon enough._

The group hurried to the City Gates; there they met a messenger telling anyone who would listen about the problems in the affluent merchant city of Trademeet. Jeral asked for more information, noted the location on his map, and determined that they would visit the High Merchant at some time in the future.

"A merchant city is a great place to raise coin. We will have to investigate at some point when we can."

Minsc spotted Nalia and a few hired hands holding the reins on five war horses right next to the city gates. She was pacing nervously, and tapping her foot impatiently. Jeral was no expert but he clearly recognized that Nalia had spent considerable money to get some of the fastest horses in Athkatla. The creatures were magnificent, and all clearly well fed and immaculately groomed.

"There you are," she cried, "I have been waiting positively ages for you to arrive."

Nalia was clad in pale green mage robes and a traveling cloak. A short bow and quiver were strapped to the bulging saddlebags of her horse.

"Nalia, I apologize for the delay. We had a brief run in with some common street thugs. They had very bad judgment but very good equipment. Despite the delay we are ready to leave right now."

"Excellent. I am sorry for my lack of manners Jeral. I am just eager to go home and help my father. Err, Jeral, not to be rude but who is she?"

Nalia was staring at Viconia with unconcealed curiosity.

Viconia had taken off her helm and was running her fingers through her long white hair.

"Viconia, didn't I ask you to keep the helmet on until we were out of the city?"

"I am drow Jeral; I will not hide my head in shame to spare weak willed surfacers from some discomfort."

Viconia strode up to Nalia and brazenly eyed the women up and down.

"Who are you young mageling? I am Viconia of the House DeVir and I know nobility when I see it, even if it is that poor excuse of nobility of the surfacer."

"Greetings, I am Lady Nalia of the House de'Arnise. I have retained Jeral and his companions to aid me in saving my home." Despite her obvious discomfort at meeting the drow her breeding ensured she kept a dispassionate face and maintained a proper courteous tone.

"There must be a shortage of good adventurers here if you had to retain this rabble."

"Nalia, please pardon Viconia's behavior. She has a, well, she has a unique sense of humor."

"Jeral, she is a dark elf. I have heard of them and the evil acts that they commit. Can she be trusted?"

"This dark elf can speak for herself noble child. Jeral has saved my life twice. I have traveled with Jeral and Minsc before and I am loyal to those I call my allies, and extremely lethal to those I deem as enemies. If Jeral says he will aid you they I will as well."

"Minsc and Boo have fought with the dark pretty one as well little Nalia. Viconia is a hero of goodness like Minsc."

"Do not be a fool large one, I am drow. Not a hero of goodness."

"Minsc and Boo know you are a dark warrior for goodness Viconia."

Jeral cleared his throat.

"I believe that it is past time for us to leave. We will be one horse short but I am sure we can double up two of the smaller riders.

"Nalia, I will ride with you. As a woman from a noble house you will assuredly have less of the human stench than these lowly males. You at least have the look of one who bathes with some regularity."

Nalia nodded dumbly and smoothly mounted her horse. Viconia nimbly hopped astride Nalia's horse and the six rode through the city gates. After a short period of time they were out of sight of the city and riding briskly through the countryside.

Viconia scowled and pulled her hood more tightly around her head. She has never become completely comfortable with life on the surface, and sunny days like today were her least favorite. At least Nalia was quiet, clean and well groomed. That made the ride somewhat tolerable. The morning passed quickly. After stopping for a brief lunch by the side of the road the party continued on.

Jeral smiled and enjoyed the fresh air. He has spent months in that dank dungeon and had not seen sunlight in some time. He slid his cloak all the way off his head and tried to get some sun on his pale skin. The air was drier this far south but the sun warmed his skin and lifted his spirits.

Jeral was almost happy. He was free from his cage, Viconia was by his side again, and it was a beautiful day. While she still owed him an explanation she was back and that was enough. He knew he would see Imoen again and that Irenicus would pay with his life. That certainty gave him the hope that he had missed for so long, that hope he had allowed to almost disappear while he was in captivity.

He spurred his horse to a gallop and shot ahead of the others. The horse under him was a powerful warhorse that was accustomed to carrying a heavily armored knight. Jeral was as average size man, and lightly armored as he was in a chain mail tunic he was no burden at all to the magnificent creature. Jeral leaned forward in the saddle and the horse responded with an even greater burst of speed.

Jeral galloped around a bend in the road and came upon a half dozen men standing over a bloody man sprawled on the ground. Clad in ill matched armor they looked like common brigands or perhaps deserters from the army. Jeral sharply reined his horse in and the beast whinnied in protest. The sound of the horse drew the attention of the men on the road and the largest of the group shouted a warning.

"No witnesses boys lest we want to be hunted by the law! Besides, we can make a pretty bit o' coin on that horse."

Two of the men picked up heavy crossbows and started to load bolts onto them, while the other four drew long swords and moved to block the road.

 _Well this is not good._

Jeral knew his companions were only a few minutes behind him.

"But a lot can happen in a few minutes," he muttered.

Unwilling to flee Jeral realized that his best hope was to intimidate his attackers and ride them down. Jeral let out a dwarven battle cry that he had learned from the dwarven cleric Yeslick and spurred his horse towards the men. The horse responded instantly to his command and leapt forward into a full gallop.

"By Durlag's Beard!"

He drew his swords and rode down on the brigands. He bobbed wildly as he rode, trying to stay in the saddle and command the horse with only his legs as he charged down on the threat.

The bowmen knelt down in the road and fired a pair of crossbow bolts at Jeral.

THWACK

The first one whizzed by his head narrowly missing him.

THRUMP.

The second bolt did not miss. It easily sliced through Jeral's chain mail and tore into his left shoulder. The pain was searing and the force of the blow knocked Jeral back in his saddle. He flailed his arms wildly to try and retain his balance. Failing, he dropped both his blades and rolled backwards out of the saddle. Despite Jeral's considerable dexterity he landed heavily on his back, slamming the back of his head onto the packed dirt road.

 _Gorion had found him in the Candlekeep library._

" _Jeral, the Watchers tell me that you are skipping your riding lessons."_

" _Father I hate the Watchers. They train men to be mindless slaves."_

" _Child you are being dramatic, they train men to be Watchers and soldiers. That does not make them mindless."_

" _Father, I am too smart to be just a soldier, you told me that. You told me to know when to fight and when not to fight. I have already finished the basic riding lessons. I just do not want to learn mounted combat. Jousting seems foolish to me. Why would I ride straight at a man who wants to strike me with a lance?"_

 _Chuckling Gorion could only shake his head._

" _Well I must concede that point child. However, mounted combat is an important skill for any adventurer. You learn how to ride and fight while mounted. You even learn how to properly fall off your horse."_

" _I will take my chances father; I really do not want to continue the lessons and I doubt I need to be taught how to fall. I assume the ground does most of the work."_

 _Shaking his head Gorion let the matter pass and walked away. However Gorion could not resist one last comment, "Very well child, you are old enough to make this decision. Although, I suspect you will regret this decision at some point in the future. When you do please remember my words."_

The memory flashed through his mind in an instant as his head slammed into the hard ground.

"Incredible _._ As usual Gorion was right, even from beyond the grave," he muttered.

Jeral touched the back of his head and was relieved when his hand came back dry. At least his skull was intact.

Shaking his head ruefully Jeral quickly looked for his attackers and spied his blades lying in the dirt some distance away. All six of the brigands were charging and would be upon him in seconds. He quickly drew the enchanted dagger from his boot and called upon his Bhaal taint to increase his strength and agility. Power and rage coursed through his veins as he ducked under the first strike and stabbed the man viciously in the stomach. His enchanted dagger easily slid through his leather armor and dug deep into his stomach. Staggering backwards the man fell to his knees as Jeral withdrew the blade. Jeral could not spare him another glance and rolled away from the next few men as they flailed wildly at him with their swords.

Jeral knew that he could not hope to defeat the remaining five men in the fight while he was only armed with a dagger. The brigands did not look dangerous or competent enough to kill him quickly. So the question was how much additional damage he would take before his friends arrived.

Jeral started backpedaling.

"Gentlemen, can't we all just get along?"

"Sure, we can get along with your corpse."

Jeral realized that a few of these men might like his dead body more than anyone should.

"GO FOR THE EYES BOO!"

Jeral heard the big ranger's voice boom over the din of combat. Risking a look back, Jeral saw Minsc and Anomen charging down on Jeral and his attackers. Enviously he realized that they were each extremely proficient with mounted combat. Minsc held the Sword of Chaos in one arm as he rode down on the bandits. Anomen looked as if he was taken out of a book on knightly combat as he rode down a bandit. He carried his shield high on his left while his mace swung out on the right. Yoshimo was riding behind the two plate clad warriors and had his short bow drawn and was firing arrows from horseback with impressive accuracy.

 _Great, all three of them are better riders in mounted combat that I am_ , Jeral mused. _Gorion would never let me hear the end of this._

Jeral turned to face his attackers and saw the looks of fear cross their faces as his companions rode them down. Anomen crushed the skull of one with a swing of his mace. Minsc cut another down with his great sword while another two carried arrow wounds from Yoshimo's bow. Once Jeral picked up his swords the battle was quickly ended.

Nalia and Viconia rode up and Viconia hopped down off her horse. Without preamble she walked up to Jeral. Placing her left hand on his shoulder she grasped the crossbow bolt with her right and pushed the bolt deeper into Jeral's shoulder until the barbed head punched through his back. Jeral swore aloud as pain shot through him and blood gushed from the newly opened wound. Viconia calmly snapped off the bolt head and then pulled the shaft from Jeral's body. She disdainfully tossed both pieces to the ground and then chanted a minor healing spell that closed the wound on the front of his shoulder. A second spell caused the wound on the back of the shoulder to close up. In seconds Jeral's wounds were closed leaving two patches of fresh pink skin behind. In a few hours Jeral's skin would not show any sign of the wound at all.

With a smirk Viconia turned and walked away from Jeral. Jeral turned towards Minsc and Anomen.

"My thanks gentlemen; I was in a spot of trouble there."

"Boo says that the man on the ground is in more trouble than Jeral."

Anomen quickly dismounted and walked up to the man on the ground.

"Bah, this man is probably drunk. Still duty requires that I provide aid if I can."

He bent down to examine the man and stiffened almost instantly.

"I was in error. This man has been beaten and poisoned. I should be able to cure him magically."

Anomen cast a spell and frowned, "that is odd, it did not work."

"Out of my way Helmite. Let me show you how a talented healer works. Drow are experts at poison in ways you surfacers cannot hope to comprehend."

Viconia strode up and elbowed Anomen out of the way. Squatting down in front of the poisoned man she chanted briefly and laid her hands on his chest. Pausing she repeated the incantation again. After the second casting she slowly dusted off her hands and rose to her feet.

"Curious. Very curious. I cannot heal this man. There must be some powerful enchantments behind this poison to resist my magic."

Smirking Anomen merely nodded having the good sense to remain quiet.

The bloody man struggled to sit up and speak.

Chest heaving from the effort he croaked, "I thank you for your help. Those men poisoned me and were going to leave me for dead. If you can take me to my friends they can save my life."

Anomen helped the man sit up and offered him a sip of water.

"Who are you and where are your friends?"

"My name is Renfeld. I am a merchant and I reside in the city of coin, in a large estate in the Docks District."

"Jeral, we cannot let this man die."

"I know that Anomen. Nalia what say you? We are here at your command."

"I must save my family and home, but I cannot allow myself to stand idly by while someone dies. Can we separate and have someone take him back?

"My lady I fear a smaller group will be victim to brigands on the road. Regardless of the direction we must travel together."

Nalia kicked the ground in frustration but nodded at the Helmite.

"We will all take him then. If we ride through the night we can help him and still be at my lands with little loss of time. I can purchase fresh horses from the stables where I purchased these mounts."

Anomen nodded and helped the man onto his horse.

"Very well my lady, we will take this man to his friends and then make all haste to the de'Arnise lands."

They returned to Athkalta and dropped Renfeld off with his colleagues at the docks. Jeral recognized the large estate as a Harper base. His time with Khalid and Jaheria had taught him how to locate the subtle identifiers. Jeral walked up to one of the guards at the door and spoke quietly.

"One of those who harp is in need. Her name is Jaheira and she is in the Mithrest Inn in the promenade."

The guard assured Jeral that he would send people to provide Jaheira assistance and support. Pleased with the thought of Jaheira receiving help Jeral departed with the others.

After riding through the night on their new horses they reached Nalia's family lands by the end of the second day.

They dismounted as the keep came into view and slowly led their horses forward. Jeral took in the de'Arnise keep. It was a well made, heavily fortified structure surrounded by rich well tended lands.

"Your father clearly knows his fortifications, and his lands seem extremely prosperous."

"He used to be an adventurer and settled down once he met my mother, he believed in protecting his family and his people. This keep has been in our family for generations."

Jeral stopped walking and pointed towards the keep.

"Nalia, unless your father is a monster I suspect all those bodies on pikes are new additions."

She took in the double row of bodies skewered on long polls in front of the raised drawbridge. Nalia chocked back a sob as she recognized the broken bodies of guardsmen and servants from the castle. Many were missing limbs while others looked half eaten.

"The keep must have fallen; otherwise this never would have happened. We must head to the palisade."

"The what?"

Viconia was not fully fluent in common and was unfamiliar with Nalia's last statement.

"The palisade, it is a secondary fortification on the edge of the woods just over a rise from the keep. Any survivors from the keep would be there. Father had it built a few years ago in preparation for this type of situation."

"Your father sounds as wise as any Knights of the Order. Please lead on Lady Nalia."

The party followed Nalia and Anomen and hurriedly headed to the palisade.

The palisade was a rough hewn defensive structure at the edge of the woods. No more than three dozen men at arms in the livery of the House de'Arnise milled around inside. Most wandered aimlessly and Jeral was surprised by the clear lack of discipline. Many of the men bore wounds of battle. Nalia walked amongst the men looking for her father or for any of the officers of the guard. She approached an older, grey haired soldier who had his left arm held in a bloody sling.

"Lieutenant Arat, where is my father?"

The wounded soldier dropped to one knee and bowed his head. Nalia told him to rise and provide a report on the situation.

"Lady Nalia, I am relieved to see that you are safe. We were all worried that you were lost. Where to begin? As you know we were suddenly beset by trolls and Yuan ti. Your father's ancestors built the keep well; we were holding them off and inflicting great damage on their ranks with flame arrows and hot oil. Suddenly, others creatures dug into the dungeon and attacked us from within. Attacked on both sides we had no chance and were quickly overwhelmed."

"And what of my father? Where is the Lord de'Arnise?"

"Your father, Captain Glacius, and some of his elite guard were leading a delaying action to allow the rest of us time to escape. Last I saw your father he was trying to assemble the great flail. Glacius also named me Captain of the Guard until he returned. Of course, we are at your orders Lady Nalia."

"Can we not attack and retake the keep?"

"My lady, we are too few in numbers to overwhelm the defenders inside the keep. If you can have the drawbridge lowered we can likely muster the strength to launch a limited counterattack. However, we will need assistance if we are to take back your home."

Nalia nodded gravely, her face lined with worry.

"Very well. Captain Arat, this is Jeral. He and his companions are here to assist us is reclaiming our home. We will take the secret entrance into the castle. Await our signal and we will open the drawbridge."

Jeral stepped forward, "Captain Arat, any idea on numbers?"

"We think there are about thirty trolls remaining, plus a half dozen of those snake men and then some odd digging type creatures."

"Jeral, we will need fire or acid to kill the trolls."

"Very true Viconia. Captain Arat do you have any fire or acid arrows?"

"We have plenty of fire arrows; feel free to have your archers fill their quivers with them."

Yoshimo and Nalia filled their quivers with fire arrows from the barrel Captain Arat indicated.

"Nalia, we must rest for at least a few hours before we enter the keep. We have been riding hard for almost 2 days. We need to rest to ensure we are fresh when we face your enemies."

"Jeral, we must go now."

"Nalia, if we enter tired and unprepared we will die. I know you want to race in but we must rest and prepare. You know I am right."

Sighing heavily Nalia nodded her agreement. "You are right Jeral. Captain Arat, wake us in 6 hours. Have food prepared for when we wake."

Anomen and Viconia went through the camp and tended to the wounded soldiers as best they could before they slept. Everyone else just lay down in the hay and fell quickly asleep.

Jeral was dreaming, he was back in Candlekeep. Imoen was showing him all the people who had died because of him. Gorion, Khalid, Dynaheir, Niklos, Sarevok. Jeral realized that it was the image of Imoen but it was not her voice.

 _Who are you, you are not Imoen?_

The image of Imoen was replaced by that of his former captor, Irenicus.

 _Each night you rest uneasy. You will accept the gifts offered you. Follow if only to protect the ones you love._


	4. Trolls, glorious trolls

Chapter 4: Trolls, glorious trolls

Captain Arat woke the party members at the appointed hour; Jeral felt surprisingly well rested after sleeping outside in the crisp spring air. Jeral and the others quickly equipped themselves, left their traveling equipment in the palisade, and headed towards the keep. Nalia guided the small group to the rocks under the western edge of the keep. She pressed upon a few rocks, seemingly at random, and a concealed door silently slid open. Nalia conjured a quartet of mage lights that circled the party in a slow rotation as Yoshimo led the party inside, checking for traps as he went along. Jeral noticed that Nalia's mage lights were a light green as he followed Yoshimo down the corridor. The lights made him think of Imoen and her ridiculous pink mage lights.

 _Hang in there sis, this is a first step on the way to you._

The narrow passageway ended in a well stocked storeroom on the ground floor of the keep. Yoshimo and Jeral quickly searched the room for useful items, locating additional fire arrows and a few packets of enchanted sling bullets for Viconia. Nalia led them out of the storeroom and a hallway that ended in a collapsed hallway.

"Someone collapsed this hallway to keep us out, pity they do not know this keep as well as someone born here."

Smiling Nalia ran her hands over a small stretch of wall and stepped back as a portion of the wall silently slid open. She slid open the secret door and quickly stood aside as Yoshimo led the way into the next room, closely followed by Minsc and Anomen. They were in a small, sparsely furnished bedroom; obviously for some of the servants in the keep. A large troll was sitting on the floor eating the remains of one of the keep's prior occupants.

Nalia muffled a cry and fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands.

"Die foul beast!"

Anomen cried and charged the troll with his mace held high. Minsc and Jeral followed Anomen forward while Yoshimo and Viconia peppered the troll with missiles. The troll clawed at Anomen's shield as Minsc and Jeral slashed at the beast. Every time he responded to one attacker he opened himself up to attacks from the other two while Yoshimo and Viconia continued to strike the beast with their missile weapons. The troll was soon overwhelmed and fell to the floor from dozens of wounds that overcame its internal regenerative abilities.

"Quickly now, you must burn the beast before it can recover."

At Viconia's barked command Yoshimo launched an additional pair of flame arrows into the corpse and stepped back as it burst into flame. As the five backed away from the smoldering foul smelling corpse Anomen strode over and knelt down next to the sobbing Nalia.

"My lady, are you injured?"

Sobbing, Nalia could only softly shake her head.

"We must move my lady. The sounds of battle will draw other beats so the noise."

"That, that, that was Muriel, one of my hand maidens. She was just a maid, a sweet girl. She deserved something far better than that fate." Nalia sagged against Anomen as he gently pulled her to her feet.

"My lady we must move."

"Anomen, I don't think I can do this. I thought I was strong enough but I was wrong." Nalia started sobbing and leaned into Anomen's side.

"Stand aside male." Viconia strode forward and roughly pulled Nalia away from Anomen.

"Unhand her dark one! That is not chivalrously done. Can't you see that she is distraught? She is just a young girl. We cannot expect her to do things that are better the responsibilities of men."

"What did you say?" Nalia pushed away from Viconia and glared up at Anomen with her hands firmly placed on her hips.

"My lady, I merely spoke the truth. Women, particularly women of nobility, are better suited to activates that will keep them safe from harm."

Nalia walked up to Anomen and started poking him in the center of his armored chest plate.

"Listen to me you prat! I am the only child of the Lord de'Arnise. He trained me in martial arts from a young age. For every hour I spent learning how to be a lady I spend another hour learning to fight. For every hour I spent with my magical tutors I spent another learning to ride or learning military history. I assure you I could command an army in battle better than many of your precious Knights of your ridiculous Order!"

"My lady I….."

"Move, we are wasting time. We need to find my father and cleanse this filth from my home."

She snapped her fingers and nocked a fire arrow to her short bow as she shoved her way past Anomen.

"Yoshimo, I lead. I do not need an outsider to lead me through my own home. Follow me."

Nalia strode off down the hall closely trailed by Minsc and Yoshimo. Jeral stayed planted on the spot, worried than Viconia and Anomen were about to come to blows. Jeral held his breath as he watched Viconia approach the Helmite. Surprisingly Viconia stopped in front of Anomen and smiled up at him as she nodded her head approvingly.

"That was not poorly done male. I would not have expected such an approach from one such as you. I did not see you as one who could even comprehend let alone employ an indirect approach to rouse Nalia out of her stupor."

Chuckling Anomen scratched his beard as he eyed the drow.

"Normally I would fit your assessment quite well for subtlety is not in my nature. However in this case I have much experience with the emotional nature of young women of the nobility."

Nodding knowingly, Viconia eyed the Helmite with an admiring glance.

"I would not have thought a pious Helmite would have so much experience mating with females of the upper class. Well done sir, there may be hope for you after all."

Anomen blushed furiously.

"Viconia you misunderstand me, I would never claim a lady's virtue outside the bonds of marriage. My experiences comes from the fact that I have a younger sister who is strong willed and fiercely independent. In fact, she is very much like the Lady Nalia."

"That makes much more sense."

Viconia quickly trotted down the hall after the others. Anomen looked at Jeral, shrugged his shoulders and moved off after Viconia. They descended into the great hall of Keep de'Arnise. Magical torches still illuminated the room brightly and illuminated the trio of creatures in the hall. Jeral recognized a massive mountain troll and two smaller ice trolls. The trio of beats saw the group enter the hall and charged. Before they could even reach the party the two smaller ones were down, peppered by fire arrows. The large one slammed into Anomen and started clawing at his shield and armor. Minsc and Jeral hacked at the troll as it remained focused on Anomen. Before long it was a flaming slime patch on the floor. Anomen received a slash to his shield arm but he sniffed and called it too minor to heal as the group moved on deeper into the keep.

"Bah, these pathetic skirmishes are hardly worthy of my notice. Now my accomplishments against the giants, those were battles!"

"Anomen, there are supposed to be thirty trolls in here. We have only seen four of them. I suspect we will have plenty of opportunities for you to act heroically in the fights ahead."

"I suppose you are correct Jeral, I am just eager to prove my worth to the Order. Ensuring that I pass my test means everything to me so I apologize if I seem boastful or over eager."

"I understand Anomen. Just remember that we are on your side, and that no one appreciates a braggart. Lady Nalia, should we enter the courtyard and open the drawbridge?"

"I believe that is a wise decision Jeral for that would allow my remaining soldiers to enter the keep and aid us in the counterattack as best they can."

The companions departed the great hall through large double doors that led into the courtyard of the Keep. In the center of the courtyard there was a large, slimy flesh colored creature with large tentacles. It noticed the party and started moving towards them.

"The Otuygh has escaped the trash pit!" Nalia cried.

The party quickly dispatched the creature with Jeral receiving a slight wound from one of the tentacles. Once the creature was killed the group looked warily around the courtyard of the keep.

Jeral looked up to the great winch atop the keep wall. The wall was almost 30 feet high and very well made of large slabs of weathered grey stone that fitted tightly together to present a smooth, nearly impregnable, surface.

"Jeral the stairs to the catwalk are across the courtyard."

"I see that Nalia, but there are also a pair of trolls in the tower over there and the catwalk takes us right past them. Let's get some reinforcements in here before we take on any more trolls."

"Yoshimo, can you get up there to lower the drawbridge and raise the portcullis by a more direct route than the stairs over there?"

Smiling Yoshimo pulled a small grapnel out of his pack and a thin elven rope purchased from Ribald back in Athkatla. With a practiced arm Yoshimo whirled the grapnel and launched it towards the top of the wall. It settled there with a solid clank and the bounty hunter pulled it taut to ensure that it had secured a hold for him.

"Be right back everyone."

Yoshimo nimbly climbed up the wall to the drawbridge winch. After examining the mechanism for a minute he unlocked the break and slowly winched the drawbridge down. A second winch raised the portcullis. Grunting with exertion Yoshimo slowly raised the portcullis. Once Yoshimo had completed raising the portcullis he locked it in place. Standing upright and stretching out his sore muscles Yoshimo watched as the remaining forces under Captain Arat emerged from the woods and quickly advanced on the drawbridge.

The noise from the drawbridge and portcullis had not gone unnoticed. Jeral watched as trolls and their Yuan ti allies appeared from various doorways around the courtyard. A quick count showed over a dozen trolls and a half dozen Yuan ti.

"Everyone make ready! We have company!"

Jeral cried, "Yoshimo get down here."

Yoshimo jumped, lightly struck the ground, tucked into a forward roll and came to his feet as he nocked an arrow in his short bow. The party grouped together tightly in a corner of the courtyard and prepared for the onslaught of creatures. The trolls started charging the party. Imoen and Yoshimo were firing flaming arrows as fast as they could while Viconia pitched in with her sling. They were hurting the trolls but there were just too many of them. A half dozen trolls slammed into Anomen, Minsc, and Jeral and slowly started pushing them backwards. Jeral twisted wildly to stay away from the creature's claws. In a fight Jeral knew he was no match for one troll, let alone multiple trolls. Doubt started to creep into Jeral's heart as he struck out time and time again at the hideous creatures. Jeral's blade would bite deep but the wound would quickly close up before he could strike again. Jeral was not hurting the troll enough to overcome its' innate regenerative abilities.

A shower of fire arrows sailed through the air and tore into the backs of the trolls attacking Jeral and his companions. Captain Arat and his men had arrived. They launched two additional waves of arrows into the trolls before they reached the party. With the range closed bows were dropped and swords were drawn. A swirling and chaotic melee ensued. Men fought trolls and Yuan ti across the courtyard. Any disciplined formation that Captain Arat desired quickly disappeared as his men broke into small groups to fight many small battles against individual trolls and snake beats. In small numbers the soldiers were less effective against the trolls and Yuan ti than they should have been. The beasts started to fall but soldiers also dropped at a rapid pace.

 _Weak leadership. Gorion always told me a military force would be more effective when they worked closely together._

Jeral was forced from his thoughts by a vicious blow to the head from a green mountain troll. Jeral dropped to one knee and felt blood trickling down his face. His head hurt and his vision was cloudy. Looking up he saw a troll preparing to bite down on his exposed neck. Snarling in anger Jeral twisted around and thrust upwards with the enchanted long sword in his right hand. It slid right through the troll's open mouth and pierced upwards into the troll's skull. The troll, mortally wounded, howled in pain and violently twisted away from Jeral. He fought to retain hold of his sword and watched the creature fall to the ground. Jeral directed a nearby soldier to burn the corpse and moved back into the fray.

The tide of battle finally turned and Jeral realized that they were winning. Most of the trolls were down as were all but three of the Yuan ti. Minsc and Anomen were fighting side by side and were steadily mowing through the creatures. The two large plate clad warriors made a fierce tandem and had already learned how to work well together. They wordlessly coordinated their attacks for maximum effectiveness. The pair focused on one creature at a time. Once killed they methodically moved onto the next one. Yoshimo and Nalia were firing arrows as directed by Viconia to assist Minsc and Anomen. Jeral felt a sense of pride as he watched his friends, old and new, work so well together. Jeral quickly moved forward to fight alongside Minsc and Anomen.

Finally it was over. Anomen healed the wounds he and Minsc had received while Viconia tended to Jeral. Smoldering mounds of troll flesh littered the courtyard. The stench of blood and burning troll lay heavy on the air. Captain Arat walked amongst his men and then made a report to Nalia.

"Lady Nalia, we lost ten soldiers killed. Eight more have serious wounds but all should survive. Only six are unwounded or lightly wounded and we are low on flame arrows. I can send four men with you but the rest of us can go no further."

"What? We are so close to retaking out home and you want to stop? How dare you?"

Captain Arat and his men flinched at Nalia's harsh words. Jeral grabbed her by the arm and led her away from the others. In a tight whisper Jeral lectured the irate young woman as she ripped her arm from his grasp.

"Lady Nalia, I appreciate your frustration but those men are just soldiers. They are trained to face other men in battle, not foul creatures such as these. They have faced more this week than they can be expected to handle. They surely fought bravely and well defending the castle and they fought well today. Let them return to the palisades with their honor and their lives while we continue on and rescue your father. They have helped thin the enemy numbers enough so we should be able to make it on our own."

Nalia was fighting back tears as she nodded and took a deep breath.

"Jeral, I, I believe that you are right although it is very hard to accept. Very well."

Nalia dried her tears on the sleeve of her mage robe and took several deep breaths. Nalia approached Captain Arat and his soldiers.

"You men have fought bravely here today. House de'Arnise is grateful for your faithful service. I, Lady Nalia de'Arnise, am personally grateful for your service and sacrifice as well. Return to the palisade, tend to the wounded and prepare for our return with my father. We will continue into the keep."

Captain Arat and his men slowly shuffled out of the keep. The dead remained where they lay in the courtyard. The four soldiers assigned to accompany Nalia and the others stood silently off to the side and nervously gawked at Viconia. Viconia took off her helmet and combed her fingers through her sweaty hair. The soldiers were staring open mouthed at the drow in a mixture of fear and desire.

"I will drink your blood!" Viconia shouted and leapt towards the soldiers. With a high pitched cry one fell to the ground in a ball, trembling in fear, while the other three ran for the drawbridge.

"Viconia did you have to do that? We could have used the help."

"Jeral, you know how I hate the stares of unwashed surfacers. I refuse to be the object of spectacle for mere hire swords. We will manage without them for they added little to our strength."

The fourth soldier managed to scramble to his feet and sprint after his friends.

Jeral turned to Nalia. "Nalia, where to now?"

"Captain Arat's men scouted the ground floor and determined that it is clear of the creatures. That leaves the second floor and the dungeon."

"So do we head up or down?"

"Up, because the dungeon is only accessible from the second floor."

"That seems a bit odd my lady."

"This keep is very old Squire Anomen; some of my father's predecessors had some unique ideas and used the dungeon as their private playground."

"Lead on milady."

Nalia led the group back into the keep and up the stairs to the second floor.

"We should probably start in the library and then head to the bedrooms."

Yoshimo cracked open the door of the library and peered in. He saw a troll in the room talking to others hidden from view around the corner. Yoshimo pulled the door open as quietly as he could and waited for the troll to see him. The troll turned towards the bounty hunter, opened his jaws in a scowl and charged. Yoshimo took off at a dead run back towards the rest of the party with the troll close behind. He rounded the corner and slipped between Minsc and Anomen. The troll rounded the corner and was decapitated by one swing by Minsc. Nalia uttered a brief incantation and a fan of flames leapt out from her fingers incinerating the corpse.

"There are other creatures around the corner in the library. I am going to see if this trick works twice. Be right back." Yoshimo winked and again crept down the hall.

Yoshimo crept forward again into the library. He peered around the corner and saw a Yuan ti and another troll. Yoshimo coughed lightly to get the troll's attention. Responding to the noise the troll whirled around and charged after Yoshimo. The bounty hunter turned and raced back down the hallway.

He rounded the corner and turned to face the second troll. The troll was quickly killed. It fell to the ground, and then before Nalia could burn it, the corpse split in half. Right in front of their eyes two trolls reformed from the corpse of the first one. The group stood transfixed as the two trolls stood up and snarled at the party. They were each smaller than the original and both attacked Jeral. He was hard pressed and took two quick claw slashes to his chest that tore deep slices out of his chain mail. Jeral sagged back between Minsc and Anomen and the two plate clad warriors stepped forward to engage the trolls. They quickly killed one and then the other. Nalia quickly incinerated the corpses, thankfully, no additional trolls reformed from the ashes of the two.

The party charged into the library and faced off against a single Yuan ti. The yuan ti chanted something and a shimmering globe of energy surrounded it.

Jeral cried out, "A mage! Nalia can you do anything about this?" and then charged at the creature.

Minsc, Anomen, and Jeral charged the mage and started trying to batter their way through the creature's magical defenses. Yoshimo and Viconia chimed in with their missile weapons but to no affect. Nalia started chanting and cast a spell dispelling the magical protections. Once the magical shield was gone the snake man quickly fell to the combined attacks of the party. Nalia picked up an ornate key off the library shelf.

"This is the master key to the keep. We can now get into every room."

Nalia led the way through the library.

"Follow me. We will first see if my aunt is still here. The Lady Caan rarely leaves the comfort of her suite so I presume she was there when the attack began. Hopefully she is still there."

The party continued through the second floor and came to an ornate iron bound wooden door. There were claw marks on the exterior of the door but it appeared intact. Nalia unlocked the door and called out as she slowly opened the door.

"Auntie. Auntie, are you in there? It is me, Nalia."

Heavy footsteps approached the door and the door jerked wide open. A tall, elderly, well dressed woman burst out of the room. She was handsome more that pretty and had a hard piercing gaze. She looked over the party and sneered before covering her face with a silk kerchief.

"Nalia my dear girl, what are you doing with these unwashed cretins? They are tracking filth through our house and they positively reek. You know commoners are not allowed up here."

"Auntie, I am here to rescue you and father. These people are here to help us."

"Bah. They are rabble Nalia. I cannot allow myself to be rescued by the lesser class, that is unacceptable. Besides, I for one know that I am not in any danger."

"Auntie, where is my father?"

"The Lord de'Arnise was leading an effort to defend his precious keep last I saw him, but that was days ago."

A lone guardsman stood behind Lady Caan. He looked haggard from lack of sleep and too much time spent with the sharp tongued Lady Caan. Smiling he strode forward and knelt on the floor in front of Nalia.

"We barricaded the door and the creatures could not get in, we have been in here for days, thank the Gods you have arrived."

"Silence Besuran, know your place. You guard, you do not speak."

Snapping her fingers she rounded on Jeral and the others.

"Now you lot, draw me a bath, and I will require a good meal immediately. Days on end with nothing but fruit, bread, sausage and cheese were positively unbearable."

Anomen stepped forward and bowed formally in front of Lady Caan.

"Milady, the keep is not yet secure; may I humbly suggest that Besuran take you to the palisade and safety?"

"And you are?"

"I am Squire Anomen Delryn of the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart."

"I know of your family boy. You are the only son of that drunken fool of a merchant, Lord Cor. Your family name means little to those who understand such things; why you are barely more than common street trash." Anomen blanched and slowly backed away, his face a mask of shame mingled with anger.

"Enough!" Viconia roared.

She took off her helm, tossed it to the ground, and strode up right next to the arrogant noblewoman. She leaned in close and whispered something through clenched teeth to the Lady Caan. The elderly noblewoman locked eyes with Viconia, blanched, and fell to the floor in a faint. The group all stared at Viconia in amazement.

Viconia looked at the others each in turn and shrugged her shoulders.

"Usually words such as mine would cause most humans to soil themselves in fear. This one is a very strong willed female surfacer. I must say that I am impressed,"

Viconia smirked as she stepped over the body and entered the bedroom.

"She reminds me of a handmaiden from my home temple.

The guard, aided by Anomen, hoisted the noblewoman over his shoulder with a grunt and headed for the palisade as Viconia reclaimed her helmet.

"He should arrive there safely. We must move forward. The treasure is just down the hall and it holds one head of father's flail, we must see if it is still there."

Nalia led the way through a secret door in the bedroom into a large treasure room. Three large chests lined the far wall.

Flanking the trio of chests were six golems; two of flesh, two of stone, one of clay, and one of iron. The giant magical constructs stood immobile as silent guardians.

Yoshimo gazed into the room for a few minutes and then looked at Nalia. "Let me guess my young noble, should one touch the chests then the golems here pound you to into the ground?"

"Yes, I believe that is how it works. My father is the only one who can command them to stand down."

Jeral put his hands on his hips and looked at each one of the group in turn.

"Well we cannot hope to fight them for iron and stone golems are very powerful'

"That may be true Jeral but we need the flail. We have no option."

"Understood Lady Nalia; so does anyone have any suggestions?"

"Jeral, I believe I have an idea that may work. Can everyone please leave the room?"

"Not sure what you are planning Anomen but be careful."

"I will my lady." Nalia, Jeral and the others filed out of the treasury and waited for Anomen to do whatever he planned to do. Jeral could hear Anomen muttering as if in prayer but silence descended after that. Jeral could not imagine what Anomen could do to defeat or outwit the golems guarding the treasury.

A few minutes later Anomen came out loaded down with equipment. He was smiling broadly and carrying a long bow with quiver, a battle axe, a war hammer and a head to the de'Arnise flail.

Jeral quickly determined that all of the weapons bore heavy enchantments.

"Nalia what is this equipment?"

Nalia lifted her chin and spoke with pride.

"These are my father's most prized possessions. He obtained each of these over the years during his life as an adventurer. All are heavily enchanted, very deadly, and now they will be very useful to us. The battle axe is known as Frostweaver and is heavily enchanted and chills all it strikes. The war hammer is of dwarven origin and specifically designed to fight giants. This long bow belonged to a long dead elven king and is incredibly accurate. It is generations old and was allegedly made by the greatest high elf archer to ever live. In the hands of a trained bowman it is difficult to miss ones target. And then there is this. "

Nalia took the flail head from Anomen and held it reverently as she turned it over in her small hands. The flail head was bright red and covered with dozens of small spikes.

"This is one of the three heads of the great Flail of Ages, my father's greatest treasure. This flail head is enchanted to inflict fire damage upon any it strikes. The flail is a powerful weapon with even one of the three flail heads but it requires all three to operate at full strength. When it does it is a sight to behold." Nalia gently wrapped the flail head in a bed sheet and tucked it into the small bag at her side. The others took the weapons from Anomen and took a few practice swings.

Minsc sheathed his great sword and grasped the battle axe in his massive hands. Viconia took the war hammer and despite complaining about the dwarven stench on the weapon seemed happen to have an enchanted weapon in her hands.

Jeral walked up to the bow and tested it out; it felt perfect in his hands and reminded him of the heavily enchanted bow he has used in his fight with Sarevok. The draw was tight but incredibly smooth. Jeral caressed the bow reverently; the bow was smooth to the touch, emerald green, and made of an unknown material.

 _Until I get better with my close combat I can be more useful as an archer_ , Jeral thought to himself as he slung the quiver of lightly enchanted arrows over his back.

While everyone was looking at their new weapons Yoshimo looked up at the Helmite and spoke.

"Noble squire, I am impressed for even a master thief would have been hard pressed to retrieve those weapons without incurring the notice of those golems. May I inquire how you managed to do exactly that?"

"Helm grants me many powers Yoshimo; that one just allowed me to move unseen – usually to heal the faithful. But in this case Helm was generous. With his blessings, I simply walked in and took all the weapons without the golems noticing I was there. They had nothing to attack for in their eyes I was never there."

Nalia interrupted the conversation, "We need to visit my father's bed chambers."

Nalia quickly led the way to the other side of the upper level of the keep. Once there she led the way into a bedroom.

"This is my father's bedroom. There is a passage to his practice room over on the far wall but there are traps so we need to be careful."

Yoshimo wandered over to a large chest by the bed. He looked the chest up and down.

"You speak the truth noble one. This chest is trapped, as it that door. On the chest there is a thin wire in the lock that must be safely triggered before it can be opened. I suggest you all step back."

Yoshimo removed his thieves' tools and rolled them out on the floor. He reached into a small pocket and pulled a small wad of soft velvet. Unrolling the velvet Yoshimo delicately removed a small ceramic vial from the protective padding. Yoshimo gently worked the stopper from the vial and then pulled a small sliver of wood from another pocket. He dipped the toothpick into the vial and then gently slid it into the lock.

"What are you doing Yoshimo?"

Speaking softly Yoshimo did not look up as he spoke, "Your father has excellent security Nalia. The trip wire in the lock cannot be bypassed. Therefore I must trigger the trap. I am placing a small drop of green dragon acid on the wire. Almost, just, there we go. Everyone should exit the room right now."

Yoshimo hopped to his feat and quickly retreated out of the room. The other five wisely elected to follow him.

Yoshimo crossed his arms and leisurely leaned against the wall.

"The acid should trigger the trap momentarily. I am curious to see what the trap is."

THUNK, THUNK, THUNK, THUNK, THUNK, THUNK, THUNK, THUNK, THUNK, THUNK, THUNK, THUNK

A dozen arrows shot out of the ceiling and imbedded themselves in the floor in a semi circle in front of the chest.

"Nice trick Yoshimo. Where can I get a good set of thieves' tools like that?" Nalia asked.

"I will take you to visit the thieves' guild in Athkatla my lady. They can sell you some excellent equipment and I will ensure you get charged a reasonable price."

Yoshimo strode to the chest and opened it. He reached in and pulled out a single wand which he presented to Nalia with a flourish.

"Nalia, this must be for you."

"It is a wand of frost, this belonged to my mother. I will use it well."

Nalia clutched it to her chest as she walked to the other side of the room.

"Beyond that door is my father's sparring room and the second head to the flail should be in there as well. Be warned however for the door is trapped."

Yoshimo stepped forward and knelt before the door and slid a wire into the lock. With a flourish Yoshimo rose and deeply bowed before Nalia.

"It is no longer trapped, and I unlocked the door as well."

"Well done Yoshimo, but Nalia did have the key."

Yoshimo grinned up at the bard.

"True Jeral, but one should never pass up a chance to practice, for only through practice may one become great."

 _Could he sound any more like Gorion?_ _Unbelievable._

Yoshimo swept open the door and stood aside. The party walked into the sparring chamber. In the center of the room stood a large man handsome man clad in a suit of finely wrought full plate mail and holding a two handed sword. The tip of his blade rested on the floor and the man stood immobile.

"Thank the Gods! That is Glacias, our Captain of the Guard and father's friend and sparring partner. Captain Glacias, where is my father?"

The large soldier showed no sign of recognition and showed no clear response to Nalia's voice.

"Captain Glacias, where is my father. I command you to answer."

Glacias slowly turned his head and gazed upon the party with vacant eyes.

"Jeral, something is wrong, he is not responding. He may not be himself."

Suddenly Glacias showed signs of life. Sneering he lifted a potion bottle to his lips and gulped it down; once empty he smashed the vial against the floor and took a firm two handed grip on his blade.

"For the glory of my new master, who has shown me the way."

He raised his sword in the high guard position and moved towards the party with unnatural speed. In a blink he was on top of the party before they could even react. His first blow struck Minsc in the side knocking him back against the wall. Only the enchantments built into his plate armor saved the large ranger from severe injury. As it was he was thrown into the wall and stunned by the force and speed of the attack. Anomen stepped forward and was soon hard pressed by the magically hasted attacks of Glacias as he savagely rained blow after blow on the Helmite's shield. Jeral drew his blades and stepped forward to assist Anomen. His blows ineffectually glanced off the big man's armor as he failed to find a weak spot in the plate mail. Anomen was bleeding from numerous wounds and was breathing hard as he struggled to protect himself. With a great overhand blow Glacias slammed his sword down on Anomen's shoulder slicing through the mail and cutting deep into the Helmite's flesh. Anomen cried out in pain, dropped his mace, and slid to one knee as blood flowed from his wound.

Realizing that Anomen was helpless to defend himself from the next strike Jeral stepped between the downed cleric and the crazed fighter. Glacias smiled grimly as he squared off with the lightly armored bard. Glacias attacked with strong overhand strikes and it was all Jeral could do to parry his blows and keep the massive war blade from striking him. Jeral had no chance to even think of a counterattack as he struggled to ensure that his blades parried strike after strike. Suddenly, Glacias froze in place; Jeral chanced a look back and saw Viconia looking smug as she completed a spell. Evidently he had succumbed to one of her hold person spells. Viconia moved towards the helpless fighter and twirled a sharp dagger in her hands.

"Stop! He is not of his own mind. Please do not kill him, just remove his armor and tie him up securely. He is my father's oldest friend."

"Nalia has a point Viconia, we should do as she says."

Shaking her head at the bard and mage Viconia turned away and wandered around the room searching for items of note. Finding nothing of interest she strode over to where Anomen sat bleeding on the floor and started tending to his massive shoulder wound.

Yoshimo and Jeral tied up Glacias while Minsc slowly struggled to his feet and tried to regain his senses. Once Anomen was fully healed Viconia turned her attention to Minsc and she exhausted her remaining healing spells on Minsc. Anomen slowly removed his battered plate mail and replaced it with the suit of full plate that Glacias had worn. The armor would need a few adjustments from a master armorer back in Alhkatla but fit well enough to use in the interim.

Yoshimo searched the room thoroughly and proudly held aloft a second flail head.

"Lady Nalia, I suspect this is of interest to you." She quickly grabbed the flail head and slid it into her pack.

Viconia's spell finally ended and Glacias started to struggle against his bonds. He paid no attention to his captors as he mindlessly focused on escaping from his bonds.

"You will all perish, for the master is stronger than all."

The veins started to bulge out on his forehead and arms and he twisted his arms back and forth against the ropes binding him in place. Every muscle in the man's body was tenses with exertion as he struggled from the bonds. His face turned bright red as he held his breath and focused all his strength on escaping from the roped. Blood started to flow from his wrists as the ropes wore into his skin tearing off huge chunks of flesh. Undeterred by the pain the crazed man continued to struggle and the ropes were soon slick with his own blood.

"I will kill all of you, ERRRRRRRRRRAGGGGGHHHHHHHH!"

With a final animal roar he ripped the ropes apart and started to rise to his feet. Viconia stepped forward and slammed her hammer down on the enraged man's head and watched with satisfaction as his skull crushed under her blow. The fighter crumpled to the floor in a spreading pool of blood, brains, and gore. Viconia calmly wiped the gore off her hammer using the dead man's tunic and then straightened up.

Nalia was clearly stunned by what she had seen and stood opened mouth staring at the mangled corpse at her feet. After a few moments she shook her head and turned away from the others.

"Follow me," was all she could stammer. She led the party back downstairs, through the storerooms and into a back room that was empty. She walked up to a blank wall and whispered a few words. The entire wall disappeared and revealed a well lit room with a large ornate chest and a large forge in the center of the room.

"The last flail head resides in that chest. As does a ring that offers limited protection. Jeral I think the ring might help keep you alive since you insist in fighting in close combat with limited armor or skill."

Jeral bit back any reply to the implied slight and placed the proffered ring on his left hand as he watched Nalia take the three flail heads and place them on the forge. She muttered a few words and the forge flamed to light. Nalia chanted a few additional phrases and the forge winked out. Remaining on the forge was a newly assembled three headed flail. The handle was made of a smooth grey material and had a black leather grip at the base to ensure the wielder of the weapon could always maintain a firm grip. The handle ended in three strands of linked chain. Each length of chain ended in a metal ball the size of a man's fist and covered with dozens of small spikes. One flail head was red, one blue and one green. It was a fearsome and impressive looking weapon.

Nalia pulled it off the forge and looked at the weapon with a tight smile. Looking at Anomen she lifted her head high and spoke in a cool clear voice that echoed in the small room.

"This is the House de'Arnise Flail of Ages as forged by my father before me. Heavily enchanted it has flail heads of fire, ice, and acid. It is a very powerful weapon and only a great warrior is worthy to wield such a weapon. Squire Anomen, I think you will ably wield the flail until returned to my father. Use it with honor good sir and aid me in cleansing the filth from my home."

Visibly moved, Anomen took the proffered flail with a sweeping bow. And spoke with a voice choked with emotion.

"Lady Nalia you do me great honor this day. I will gladly wield this with honor until we can return it to your father."

Nalia could only nod grimly as she fought back tears. "Now to the dungeons."


	5. The last of her name

_Chapter title may give something away but I just could not think of anything else that worked._

 _So spoiler alert but please read on anyway._

Chapter 5: The last of her name

With the Flail of Ages finally assembled Nalia slowly led the weary band back upstairs. On the far side of the treasure room, concealed behind a false wall, was a spiral staircase heading down to the dungeons beneath the castle. The stone stairs, worn from centuries of use, descended deep into the earth as the stairwell circled around and around. Nalia led the way onto the stairs closely trailed by Yoshimo, Anomen, and the others. After descending for near a quarter hour the stairwell finally ended in a small storage room. The room appeared long abandoned since everything was liberally coated in a thick layer of dust. The only light in the room was from Nalia's quartet of mage lights that bathed the room in a pale green glow as she sent the lights floating to the far reaches of the chamber.

Yoshimo knelt down and examined the floor as the others looked around. The bounty hunter slowly stood and wiped his hands on his trousers to remove the dust.

"This storeroom has been unused for many years Lady Nalie, that much is obvious. What is less obvious is that there is a very faint recent trail through the dust leading to the door on the far wall."

Nalia and Yoshimo quickly searched through the numerous boxes and chests in the room before moving on. The pair discovered some badly needed potions of extra healing, enchanted sling bullets, arrows of fire and a thin golden amulet. Yoshimo handed out the potions to the clerics and shared the arrows with Jeral and Nalia.

Jeral sensed a magical affectation on the amulet and mentioned as much to Nalia.

The young mage quickly chanted a simple divination spell on the amulet as it lay in her palm.

"You are correct Jeral. This is a shield amulet that offers limited protection from attack when activated before combat. From what I have seen you could best put this to use. You seem to put yourself in harm's way quite often. Maybe between this and the ring you will survive to meet my father. Just use it sparingly for there are likely a limited number of charges in the device."

"Nice to know I am appreciated."

Smiling Jeral placed the amulet around his neck and tucked it into his tunic. He activated it and felt a weak invisible shield surround his body.

"Better than nothing," he muttered to himself as he moved towards the door.

After Yoshimo checked it for traps Jeral slowly cracked it open and saw three large mountain trolls in the room. The three were sitting in a rough circle gnawing on a pair of corpses lying on the floor. Opening the door wide he quickly stepped back and drew his long bow as he backed between Minsc and Anomen. The three trolls roared in anger, stood up, and charged into the store room.

The lead troll headed straight towards Jeral but Anomen quickly stepped in the path of the charging beast. Anomen swung the Flail of Ages and smiled thinly as he watched the powerful weapon tear huge chunks out of the troll's side. Howling in pain the creature staggered back and Anomen pressed his attack. His next swing connected with the creature's head and the skull shattered from the force of the blow. Headless the troll staggered around wildly for an instant before slowly sliding to the ground. Jeral and Yoshimo struck the carcass with fire arrows to ensure it would not come to life and the mangled corpse burst into flames, spreading chocking smoke throughout the chamber.

The second creature bulled into Anomen and the Helmite barely managed to raise his shield to protect himself. The troll leaned into Anomen and slowly pushed him backwards as it clawed at his shield. Minsc stepped forward and struck downwards with Frostreaver. The battle axe sliced deep into the troll's shoulder and froze the skin on both sides of the wound, preventing the creature from quickly healing the damage. The beast roared in rage and pivoted to face Minsc. His jaws snapped out at the large ranger and Minsc threw himself to the ground to duck away from the snapping teeth. Minsc held up his axe to keep the creature at a distance but the troll ripped the weapon out of his hands and hurled it across the room. Weaponless, Minsc scrabbled backwards on the floor to avoid the troll's attacks.

Jeral looked over and noticed that Anomen was battling the third and final troll. His great flail was keeping the creature at a distance and the Helmite appeared more than able to hand the threat in front of him. Gritting his teeth Jeral dropped his long bow, drew his blades and leapt into the fray to protect the downed ranger. Jeral hurdled over Minsc and landed directly in front of the wounded troll. The creature pulled up quickly and clawed at Jeral. Jeral blocked the first claw with a strike from his short sword. The blade dug deep into the arm and the creature roared as it pulled it back in a shower of blood. Jeral watched the wound already starting to heal.

Jeral was so focused on watching the wound close before his eyes that the creature's other claw strike took him completely by surprise. At the last instant Jeral glimpsed the massive arm reaching out towards him and he threw himself backwards. The claws reached out for Jeral and tore into his tattered chain mail tunic. The razor sharp claws sliced into the mail shirt and finally snagged on a metal band sewn into the side panel. The troll violently pulled his arm back to free himself from Jeral's armor, and in doing so hurled the bard across the room.

Jeral pinwheeled across the room and smashed into a stack of water casks. Jeral's shoulder cracked open the nearest cask and warm water poured out over him and streamed across the floor. Jeral looked up to see the troll take a pair of flame arrows in the chest. The creature turned and was unprepared to defend itself against Minsc as he returned to the fray. Minsc had drawn his massive great sword and slashed violently at the troll. His blade dug deeply into the creature and nearly cut it in half. As he wrenched his sword from the wound a second pair of fire arrows struck the beast and it fell to the floor. A final volley of flame arrows lit the corpse on fire and the sickening smell of an additional burning troll wafted across the room.

Jeral turned to see the final troll fall to the ground under the combined attacks of Viconia and Anomen. Yoshimo and Nalia used their arrows to burn that corpse as well and soon a third burning corpse added its pungent stench to the room. Jeral struggled to his feet and realized that his chain mail tunic was beyond repair. He quickly undid the shoulder clasps and let the badly damaged armor fall to the ground.

"Is everyone ok?" Everyone looked at Jeral and grimly nodded in the affirmative. "Good let's get out of this smoke before I retch."

The group advanced into the room vacated by the trolls and stared at the pair of corpses lying on the floor. The remains looked to be several days old and appeared to be members of the de'Arnise household guard. Jeral pulled his eyes away from the corpses and examined the room. It looked like an old torture chamber; rusty iron maidens and other torture devices lined the walls of the room.

"Nice place your family has here Nalia."

Nalia glared at Jeral and clenched her jaw as she spoke in a clipped formal voice.

"Jeral this is part of the history of my family. My father and I have nothing to do with any of this. This chamber was last used centuries ago when the de'Arnise family took a less benevolent path than we do today."

Seeking to change the subject Anomen loudly cleared his throat and strode to stand close to Nalia.

"Very well my lady, how many rooms remain ahead of us? What is on the other side of that door?"

"Only two rooms remain that matter Squire Anomen. There is yet another store room that leads to both the cells and the family crypt. My father must be near; they are likely holding him in the family crypt. I pray that he is unharmed."

Yoshimo placed his head against the closed door and heard soft rumblings on the far side of the room.

"Lady Nalia I believe there are a host of enemies in the room on the other side of this door. Is there anything you can do to thin out their numbers before they strike against us?

Nalia smiled, cracked her knuckles, and rolled her neck from side to side.

"I think I have just the solution Yoshimo. Once I start casting count slowly to five, open the door,and then close it quickly after I cast my spell."

Nalia started casting and Yoshimo slowly counted to five and opened the door wide. Jeral chanced a glimpse into the next room and saw six large umber hulks dozing in the room. Large fearsome creatures, they resembled large mountains bears with a massive beak and thick arms and legs that ended in oversized claws. From what Jeral remembered from his readings umber hulks were powerful beings that could tunnel through the hardest rock with ease. Jeral realized that these creatures must have opened up the castle for the trolls to press their attack home. These creatures led to the defeat of the castle defenders. But why would chaotic creatures like umber hulks work with trolls? Jeral had never read of anything like that back in Candlekeep. Umber hulks were wild creatures that went where they wished with no real plan. Yet something or someone had commanded the chaotic creatures to serve as part of a larger plan.

Jeral was drawn back to the present as Nalia cast her spell and Yoshimo slammed the door shut. The slamming door alerted the umber hulks and they started roaring. Jeral heard numerous heavy bodies collapse to the floor. Heavy pounding came from the other side of the door and two umber hulks burst through the door, shattering it and throwing Yoshimo and Nalia to the side as the beasts emerged from a churning cloud of poisonous gas. The large creatures roared and headed straight for the remainder of the group. Anomen and Minsc moved to intercept them while Viconia launched sling bullets and Jeral fired arrows as fast as he could nock, draw, aim, and loose.

Yoshimo and Nalia struggled to their feet, each dazed from the impact with the umber hulks and then the floor. The pair of umber hulks were taking damage but Anomen was down. Multiple blows to the head and side had knocked him to the ground. Minsc was hard pressed against the two massive creatures and Anomen lay defenseless at the ranger's feet. Viconia dropped her sling at the same instant Jeral dropped his long bow. The drow hefted her war hammer, Jeral drew his swords, and together the pair stepped forward to protect the fallen Helmite. Minsc battled the one on the left while Viconia and Jeral battled the one on the right.

Jeral was in awe as he watched Viconia fight by his side. Jeral was as quick and agile as any man alive, and fighting unburdened without any armor made him faster still. Yet he had to admit the drow cleric was faster than he was. Even burdened with enchanted armor, a small shield and an open faced helm she moved like the wind. Each time the beast charged she would slide out of the way and lash out with her war hammer. With her slight frame she did not launch crushing blows; rather her strikes were always precise and focused on a point of weakness. Each strike hit the umber hulk in the knee, or face or elbow. Anywhere she would expect to inflict pain. Her attacks so enraged the creature that is completely ignored Jeral and focused all efforts on killing the pesky female cleric.

Jeral circled around behind the creature and violently stabbed both blades deep into its back. His enchanted blades cut deep into the tough hide and the creature roared in pain. The beast whirled around to face Jeral and both blades were torn from his grasp. Jeral backpedaled as the beast unsteadily approached him. Jeral heard the sound of metal striking metal and watched as the tip of his long sword burst out the creature's chest in a gout of blood and tissue. The creature's face registered surprise as it fell to the ground dead. Viconia had managed to drive Jeral's long sword all the way through the beast with a precise strike of her war hammer. As the creature collapsed to the ground Jeral watched as Minsc cut deeply into the one remaining creature. That beast, badly wounded, finally succumbed to the combined assault from Minsc, Nalia, and Yoshimo as the archers finally reentered the fray.

Breathing hard Jeral recovered his blades from the beast and cleaned them off with a rag as he watched Viconia tend to Anomen. With her divine healing exhausted she poured healing potion after healing potion down his throat until he was able to get to his feet. Anomen weakly got to his feet and leaned heavily against the wall as he removed his battered helm and dropped it to the floor.

"My thanks Viconia; it seems these skirmishes are not as petty as I thought they would be."

Viconia nodded and crossed the room to reclaim her dropped sling.

"Those are fearsome creatures. I have never seen one of those beasts before. By Helm are those things strong."

Jeral nodded and patted Nalia on the back.

"And we owe thanks to Lady Nalia, for her spell killed four of them. Facing off against six of the creatures we would have surely perished."

Yoshimo muttered to himself, "that must not happen."

The bounty hunter smiled grimly as he looked into the next room. He inhaled deeply and cautiously entered the room.

"The air is now safe to breathe."

Yoshimo started methodically searching the room and opened each chest and crate after checking it for traps. Yoshimo pocketed a handful of small equipment, potions and scrolls that the party could examine later. He folded up a bizarre looking suit of studded leather armor asked Minsc to carry it with him. The large ranger nodded and happily slid it into the small sack at his hip. Once the group had finished their search they gazed at the large door that stood in the center of one wall. Twice the size of a normal door it was made of ebony wood and inlaid with ornate silver, electrum and golden engravings. The door was closed but claw marks near the top indicated that several large creatures had opened and closed the door at some point.

Viconia lovingly ran her hand over the door and traced her fingers lightly over the engravings.

"This is some fine work. I would not expect to see anything like this in your world Nalia."

"What do you mean Viconia?"

"Young mageling, these engravings you see are actually runes in the language of the gnomes who dwell in the underdark. You would know them as deep gnomes."

"What do they say?"

"In blood there is truth."

"That makes no sense at all." Anomen huffed as he strode forward to stand next to Nalia.

"Actually male, it makes perfect sense. There are two ways to read such a statement and they both apply to my world as well as yours. The first meaning is that loyalty to family is all that matters. Blood must come before friendship, before love, before anything else. To the drow loyalty to ones house matters most of all. Everything one does reflects on their house. Apparently the gnomes share that sentiment."

"You did not know that about the deep gnomes Viconia?"

The cleric eyed Jeral with disdain in her eyes.

"Jeral the gnomes are pathetic creatures unworthy of our consideration. Why should I study my lessers?"

"What is the other meaning Viconia?"

Nalia whispered the question, for Viconia's statement about the importance of family only worsened her concern for her father.

"The second meaning is also one that the drow know very well. 'In blood there is truth' simply means that the only time you can be sure someone is not lying is when they are bloody and tortured. At that point they will no longer have the ability to lie."

"That is horrible."

"Perhaps to you Nalia but your ancestors knew something about it, some of those torture devices in your dungeon are not typical for the surface world. At some point the house de'Arnise trod a very dark path."

"Enough discussion about the door, we need to see what lies on the other side, any idea what we could be facing in the next room Nalia?"

"This is an ancient throne room that now serves as the family crypt Jeral. It is a large room with a throne and statue of one on my very distant ancestors at the other end about two hundred paces distant. I know not what enemy awaits us beyond this door but I know with all my heart that my father is in there. We need to hurry."

"Very well Nalia. Let us all take a few moments to ready ourselves and then we can proceed."

Anomen and Viconia both called upon their respective patrons and the party was joined by a quartet of skeletons that materialized out of thin air. They were not powerful fighters but would offer some assistance to the groups. Anomen and Minsc both consumed potions to enhance their strength and Jeral called upon his divine dark blood to increase his own strength. Nalia then hasted the entire party and cast stoneskin and mirror image on herself.

Suitably prepared, the party opened the doors to the family crypt and strode inside. The crypt was a large, well lit, vaulted room, with lines of coffins along each side. At the far end of the room stood three of the largest trolls Jeral had ever seen. They were standing over the bloody and broken body of a man. There was no doubt, Lord de'Arnise, Nalia's father, was dead. As the door opened the largest troll turned to face the door and his mouth opened wide in what passed for a smile. The sight of a hideous creature attempting to manage a smile was terrible to behold.

"It is about time you puny manlings are here. Tor Gal has delivered the keep as promised; you have what is promised for me?" The troll struggled to croak out the words but his voice chilled none the less.

Before Jeral could respond and learn more, Nalia spied her father's body on the ground and the young noble lost control.

"Nooooooooooo! FATHER!"

Nalia screamed and launched a fireball that exploded amongst the trolls. The trolls roared in pain as the fire scalded their hides.

Nalia's cries of anguish turned to rage in an instant as she boldly strode deeper into the room.

"Foul beasts; know that I am the Lady Nalia de'Arnise. I am the last of my name and will avenge my father's death! You end comes at my hands."

Nalia calmly moved forward casting spell after spell at the trolls; acid arrows and magic missiles flew from her fingertips with incredible speed and tore into the trio of creatures. Viconia and Anomen ordered their skeletons forward to protect Nalia while Yoshimo and Jeral fired arrows of flame as fast as they could.

Minsc and Anomen raced past Nalia and charged towards the trolls; ready to keep them away from the more vulnerable members of the party. Nalia was in a rage as she angrily continued to cast spells while the tears streamed freely down her grimy cheeks. Anomen and Minsc charged in on the largest troll and attacked it as Nalia continued to strike it with acid arrows and magic missiles. The other two trolls quickly closed on Anomen and Minsc and the two warriors soon found themselves surrounded and hard pressed to defend themselves against their attackers.

Jeral and Yoshimo continued to fire flame arrows at one of the lesser trolls but the creature continued to claw at Minsc. The two archers were not doing enough damage to the troll to get it to turn away from Minsc.

"Jeral, those two idiots need your assistance else they will die. And if they die those creatures will kill all of us!"

Viconia screamed at Jeral as she hurled another sling bullet at the largest troll.

Realizing that Viconia spoke the truth Jeral dropped his long bow to the floor and charged towards the other end of the vault. As he did he drew his blades and also muttered a quick incantation. Once complete, four mirror images winked into existence to provide Jeral some limited protection against the trolls. Jeral raced up behind the lesser troll he had previously attacked and hacked at the creature's right leg. His long sword bit to the bone and the creature howled in pain and whirled around to face the new threat. The creature lashed out at Jeral but he ducked under the blow as one of his images winked out of existence. Jeral stabbed out and the short sword in his left hand struck the troll's right leg near the spot of the previous wound. Already weakened the leg bone shattered and the creature fell to the floor.

Jeral dropped his blades, muttered a few words of power, and a fan of flames leapt out from his hands. The troll burst into flame and rolled around for a few seconds until succumbing to the fire. Jeral quickly reclaimed his blades and prepared to reenter the fight. Anomen and Minsc had regained their footing and were paired off against the remaining two trolls. As he adjusted his grip on his swords Jeral watched as a flash of pale green raced past him. Nalia ran the remaining length of the room and stood mere steps from the largest of the trolls.

"Know that I am my father's child and that I will see him again in the afterlife!"

She quickly drew her wand of frost and uttered a few words of power as the creature turned around to lunge at her. A jet of ice poured out of the wand and struck the troll in the chest. Nalia leaned forward and placed both hands on the wand as it continued to pour out a stream of ice that steadily coated more and more of the troll's body. The troll struggled against the wave of ice as it fought to reach Lady Nalia and rip her to pieces.

Everyone stopped to watch as Nalia poured out wave after wave of magic from the wand into the massive troll. The ice eventually covered the entire creature head to toe but Nalia did not command the wand to stop. She poured more and more ice onto the troll as she struggled to control the magic in the wand. The wand started to shake violently in her hands and the middle of the wand started glowing red. In her anger she was overtaxing the wand. The question was would she exhaust the power in the wand first, or would the wand overheat and explode, killing the young mage?

Jeral walked up to Nalia and shouted to be heard over the ice pouring out from the wand.

"Lady Nalia! The troll is dead! Your father is avenged. Let go of the wand!"

Nalia shook her head and continued to pour magic into the frozen creature. Finally the ice started to crack and splinter and with a final groan it shattered the frozen troll into a thousand small pieces. Nalia screamed out in rage and frustration and dropped the wand. The red hot wand dropped to the floor where it hissed as it melted the ice all around it. The rapid change in temperature called the want to split in half with an audible SNAP.

No one spoke as everyone stared at the carnage all around them. Anomen and Minsc stood over the corps of the final giant troll. Dark blood coated the Flail of Ages and the Sword of Chaos as the two plate clad warriors leaned on one another for support. The companions collapsed to the ground, exhausted and winded from their exertion and the magic enhancements used for the battle. Yoshimo alone retained the presence of mind to burn the final troll corpse to ensure that it would not return to life.

Nalia tiredly crawled over to her father's corpse. Anomen weakly pushed to his feet and followed her over.

"Father I took too long, I failed you." She threw herself on his body and started sobbing.

Anomen examined the body and gently laid a hand on her back.

"Lady Nalia, it is apparent that your father has been dead for some days. He was likely dead before you even reached Athkatla. There is nothing more than you could have done for him."

"You do not understand. I failed him, my father is dead, my family lands destroyed, what am I to do? I am alone now. Whatever am I to do?"

Anomen gently helped Nalia to her feet and walked her from the room. Once she departed Jeral removed his cloak and covered her father's body while Yoshimo unlocked the family crypt and pulled out some valuable jewelry.

Smiling wryly he handed the jewels to Jeral, "These should help you reach your goal if the Lady de' Arnise allows us to keep them. I also located a nice set of enchanted armor earlier that we should have identified once we get back to Athkatla."

The group started to quietly retrace their steps out of the castle. Numbly, Nalia led the group out of the keep and back to the palisade. Once there she called for Captain Arat.

"Captain Arat, have the remaining acolytes enter the crypt and prepare my father for burial in the morning. Have whatever servants remain work on making the great hall and the kitchen serviceable while we rest. Have the cooks make a feast for it shall be the last meal for any of us in the keep. Wake me just before first light."

Exhausted Nalia curled up on the ground and went right to sleep. Jeral and his companions were all dead on their feet and passed out on the ground as quickly as the Lady Nalia.

Jeral woke with the sun beaming down on his face and he stretched out on the ground. Someone had covered all of them with blankets during the night. Nalia and Anomen were nowhere in sight but Jeral smiled as he watched Minsc, Viconia and Yoshimo sleeping peacefully. Buckets of water were stacked to the side as were loaves of bread and small wheels of cheese. The cooks had obviously managed to open the kitchen inside the keep. Jeral slowly stood marveled at the effectiveness of his ring when combined with his own innate healing abilities. All of his wounds from the day before were completely healed. Not a single scratch remained on his unblemished skin. He used a bucket of water to freshen up. After a quick trip to the woods, he realized that his chain mail was destroyed. Rummaging through his pack he located his nicest shirt and quickly cleaned up and dressed as best he could given the conditions.

 _I need to get some better armor. Right now I have to choose, fight in armor without spells or fight unarmored with the limited spells I know. Not a great choice._

He strapped his long sword to his left hip and left his other possessions in the palisade as he set off in search of Lady Nalia.

He encountered Captain Arat on the way to the great hall. The wounded soldier nodded respectfully to Jeral and smiled as he approached.

"Greetings Sir Jeral, Lady Nalia requests the presence of you and your companions in the great hall in one hour's time."

"We will be there, Captain. Thank you."

Jeral hurried back to the palisade to wake his companions. At the appointed hour they all strode into the great hall. Nalia was seated at the head of a long table with various advisors seated nearby. Jeral was struck by the number of empty seats at the table. The council had clearly suffered significant losses from the troll invasion. Nalia looked up and smiled wanly when Jeral and his companions entered the hall. She cleared her throat loudly and slowly rose to her feet.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the council, honored guests, while I am delighted to see each and every one of you it pains me greatly to see so many missing. We lost many good men and women during the battle, their sacrifices will never be forgotten. With the help of Jeral and his companions: Minsc, Viconia, Yoshimo and Squire Anomen; and a good many of you, we have freed the keep from the occupiers and avenged my father's death. Jeral, to you and your friends I offer both my heartfelt thanks as well as this small token of gratitude. Captain Arat rose and walked over to Jeral and handed him a well made backpack that was heavy with gold coins and precious stones."

Jeral could not help but notice that Nalia blushed a bit when she mentioned the name of the Helmite warrior cleric. A few dozen in the hall started to applaud enthusiastically but Nalia quickly motioned them to silence. Awkwardly the applause quickly died out and an uncomfortable silence returned to the hall. Nalia hung her head for a moment to regain her composure. When she raised it to speak again she struggled to keep her voice from cracking.

"It pains me to say this good people but we have nothing to celebrate, for despite the fact that we have reclaimed our home and vanquished the invaders, House de'Arnise is no more. My father…..the Lord de'Arnise is dead and there is no male heir to retain title to the family lands. I have provided my thanks to those who have aided us in reclaiming the keep and avenging my father's death. Sadly for the rest of us the future is less bright."

Nalia dropped her head again and Jeral watched a single tear fall and strike the table. Shaking her head once from side to side to regain control, Nalia lifted her head and gazed out upon the audience chamber. The face of a daughter grieving for her father was gone and instead Jeral gazed upon the Lady Nalia, last surviving member of the House de'Arnise.

"Good people, to you I can only offer my thanks and a warning. According to the laws of inheritance the facts are clear and beyond dispute. House de'Arnise has fallen and these lands, and all who live on them, will soon belong to the house Roenall. Many of you know how I feel about them. They are a family without honor and view the peasant class as little more than slaves. My advice is to take everything you can and head east to the lands of Lord Laurentis. I have sent messengers to him requesting that he accept more peasants and soldiers into his holdings and I am confident that he will honor my request. So you need to leave today and do not look back for once the Roenall's arrive you may no longer have the freedom to depart. I wish each of you the best of luck, may Lady Tymora guide you on your way to a brighter future."

With the council dismissed they slowly stood up and started preparing to leave their home, never to return. Nalia walked away from the table and approached the party. Jeral noticed that she looked older and more commanding that she had the day before. She was already adjusting to her role as the sole surviving member of house de'Arnise. She nodded at the group and smiled thinly.

"Squire Anomen, I have need of a priest to give my father his last rites before we can complete his burial in the family crypt. Our priest died in the battle and the acolytes are poorly suited to the task. Would you grant me this one boon good sir?"

"My lady, I would be honored to provide the final blessing."

Anomen and Nalia headed upstairs in order to make their way to the dungeons. Minsc and Yoshimo readied the horses for travel and loaded the saddle bags with food and water while Jeral and Viconia spent time sitting in the great hall. Jeral attempted to engage the drow cleric in conversation but she avoided every attempt and the pair soon lapsed into an uncomfortable silence.

Some time later Nalia and Anomen both returned downstairs. Nalia's eyes were bloodshot and the remnants of dried tears were visible on her freckled cheeks.

"My father is buried and the dungeon is sealed. Only one of de'Arnise blood can open the doors to the dungeon and I will never enter them again. It is time for us to leave this place."

Nalia shifted nervously from one foot to the other as she fiddled with the hems on her robes. Taking a deep long breath she smoothed out her robes, stood up straight and looked Jeral in the eye.

"Jeral of Candlekeep, I have nowhere to go. My father is dead and I am betrothed to a brat of a man; a man I have no intention of marrying. His name is Issea Roenall and he only wants me for my title. I will not marry him under any circumstances. Can I travel with you and your companions for a while? At least until I can determine what I should do next. Anomen says that as leader of the group the choice is yours."

"Nalia, if you father arranged the marriage should you not respect his wishes?"

Nalia's eyes flashed with anger and pain at the mention of her father.

"Jeral you misunderstand me. My aunt, the Lady Caan arranged the marriage without my father's knowledge. He was doing everything in his power to delay the marriage until he could find another solution; he bore no love for the Roenalls."

"Can she nullify the wedding arrangement?"

"She could but she will not, she bears a resemblance to the older de'Arnise blood. She would have had my father reopen the dungeons and treat the peasants like beasts. Her heart is cold, she will not aid me. She rode off with a dozen guards late last night bound for the Roenall estate. She will not aid me."

"Nalia please understand that this life, living on the road, often facing serious peril is not easy; can we not help you to keep your lands? Is there no way?"

"I appreciate the offer Jeral but I do not want any more violence over my home."

"What of the courts? You are nobility, won't they listen to you?"

Anomen chimed in, "Jeral, without a male heir Nalia's father had no legal next of kin. In the eyes of the law Nalia has no right to retain the lands. The legally registered arranged marriage makes Issea Roenall the next heir to all of these lands. Sadly, the law is not on her side."

"Nalia, if you wish, you are welcome to accompany us."

"My thanks, Jeral. I need to feel wanted somewhere right now."

The group spent the day watching the residents of the keep depart with all their belongings heading east. As the sun grew low in the western sky, Viconia saw a dozen riders coming from the west riding hard.

"Armed men approach Jeral."

The others followed her outstretched arm and saw nothing. No one was willing to challenge the drow's assertion so they stared to the west and waited patiently. After a few minutes they could see men approaching on horseback.

"Minsc, can you and Yoshimo please get the horses?"

A well dressed, foppish looking man rode up at the head of a double column of soldiers. Jeral counted a dozen soldiers escorting the noble at the head of the column.

"Quint Roenall, younger brother of my husband to be," Nalia whispered.

"Lady Nalia, Lady Caan has informed us that your father had died. That is most unfortunate. Issea sends his regards and suggests a late summer wedding. It is certain to be the social event of Athkatla this season."

Nalia placed her hands on her hips and glared up at the speaker with a look of pure loathing.

"Quint, I am not marrying your brother and you know it." Quint sniffed and waved a well manicured hand at Nalia.

"Pish posh. I am sure you will change your mind. And if you do not, well no matter, for only a man can truly say what a woman wants. In the meantime this place is not open to your kind anymore. The estate and all its possessions are now properly in the hands of the family Roenall. Issea also asked me to send an escort to ensure you safely back to the city."

"I have secured my own escort Quint. Jeral and his friends here are more than enough protection for me. They managed to clear out the evil horde that had invaded my home and killed my father while your family refused to take any action. If they can defeat giant trolls and other foul creatures they can get me safely back to Athkatla."

"Yes, yes I am sure they are quite heroic. That is not the issue. A lady cannot travel with such rabble; who will ensure that your virtue is protected until your wedding night? I assure you that Issea values your virtue almost as much as your father's lands."

The last sentence caused some of the riders in the column to snicker and leer at Nalia.

Anomen strode up to stand before the young noble. Red faced he glared up at Quint.

"I am Anomen Delryn, Priest of Helm and Squire of the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart. You have my solemn vow that Nalia, and her virtue, are safe in our charge. So this I swear by Helm."

Jeral had never seen the Helmite so angry, his face was almost purple with rage and spittle was working into froth on the side of his mouth. Nalia was hiding behind Minsc and blushing furiously. Jeral walked up to the young Roenall and looked up at him on his horse.

"Quint, the Lady Nalia is leaving here with us. I assure you, the thirteen of you are not nearly enough to keep us here and we both know it. You get the de'Arnise estates today, I would consider that a good day by any standard. Should you try and push your luck things may end badly for you. Take a good look at us, should you wish to make a fight of it you will need many more men. We are leaving now to escort the Lady Nalia to Athkatla. Good evening."

With that Jeral and his companions mounted their horses and slowly rode away. Nalia hung back and looked at her home one last time.

"Quint, I will see you in Athkatla, take good care of the keep. The treasury is upstairs. Take a look and I am sure you will find something you like."

The Roenall lord spurred his horse to a gallop and he led his men racing towards the de'Arnise treasury. Jeral rode back and stopped his horse next to Nalia, fixing her with a quizzical look.

"Nalia, what sent them running off towards the castle in such a hurry?"

"I mentioned something about the remaining funds in the treasury,"

"Nalia, I must say that was surprising, why did you tell him where to find the treasury? I know there were still piles of gems and coins that remained there."

Nalia blushed and smiled as she looked at the horsemen galloping towards the keep.

"Actually Jeral there is nothing left in the treasury but the six golems. Squire Anomen helped me empty the treasury this morning. We buried some valuable pieces with my father. The rest we gave to the soldiers and staff in the keep to help them start out their new lives. All Quint will find is six guardians of the treasury. If he is lucky, and fast, he should survivie. And if he does not, well no matter, the Roenall's have another son."

That brought a hearty laugh from Jeral. "Lady Nalia, there is much more to you than meets the eye, if Viconia hears what you did she may believe that you are part drow. You have a home with us for as long as you wish."

Smiling the pair caught up with the others and the group rode back towards Athkatla.


	6. Under new management

_Sorry for the delay in posting, life just seems to get in the way._

 _Bondari, thank you as always for the feedback it is very much appreciated._

 _I am glad you like how I write Nalia. She has a lot of potential as a character._

 _Bit of a long chapter here but I did not see a good place to split it up._

 _On with the show._

Disappointment Chapter 6: Under new management

Two days of riding at a comfortable pace returned the party back to the city of coin at dusk. Nalia rode in silence for the entire trip, speaking only when absolutely necessary. That first night on the road Jeral was standing the second watch and heard the young woman quietly sobbing into her cloak as she mourned the loss of her father and her home. Nalia's suffering reminded Jeral of Gorion's death and he understood the pain of loss she felt. Sadly, Jeral knew of nothing that could relive her of her suffering save the passage of time and finding something, or someone, to fill the void. Jeral had learned through hard experience that avenging the death of one's father did not lessen the sense of loss.

Jeral had watched as Imoen killed Sarevok and ended the threat to their lives so many months ago in the underdark beneath Baldur's Gate. That next morning Jeral woke and missed Gorion as much as he ever had. With a bitter taste Jeral realized that revenge would not change anything, it would not make the pain fade. Jeral also realized that even if it would not make the pain go away revenge was sometimes the only way forward. Then Sarevok had to die; now Irenicus had to die. Sometimes it was just that simple.

Jeral was pulled out of his reverie as the party halted at the city gates. After a cursory wave from the soldiers the six rode into Athkatla. They dropped of Nalia's horses at the stable nearest the city gates and continued further into the city on foot. The wide cobblestone street wended its way through the city and led to the merchant's district. Yoshimo smiled as he looked at the crowded streets and the hundreds of merchants and customers milling about busily as they looked to complete their errands and business before the sun set and darkness covered the city.

"Ahhhh, it does my heart good to see such activity in the city of coin. Jeral, allow me to go with Minsc and sell our excess items. We can meet you at the Copper Coronet in a few hours for a late dinner."

"Excellent idea Yoshimo. The rest of us will head to the inn and secure some rooms, see you in a bit."

"Shall I procure a new set of chain armor for you?"

"No thank you Yoshimo. I prefer to shop for my own armor. I will look into getting myself some on the morrow."

"Very well, Minsc and I will ensure we get a very good deal from Ribald."

Jeral watched the pair weave through the traffic as they headed to the Adventurer's Mart. Turning, he led the remaining quartet through the crowds as they headed towards the slums district. As the shadows lengthened he watched as the last remains of the sun dipped under the horizon. With the arrival of darkness the streets quickly emptied out as everyone hurried home in an effort to be off the street before the onset of full darkness. Jeral had heard rumors in the Copper Coronet about the dangers on the street after dark, dangers that sounded beyond those normal to any large city at night.

Jeral noticed a thin pale woman heading directly for the group. She was dressed in flowing red robes of the finest silk and wore matching sandals on her feet that laced up to the knee. She was pale skinned, of indeterminate age, and very attractive. She strode right up to Jeral and halted inches from him. She was almost as tall as Jeral and looked him in the eye as she smiled a tight closed lipped smile.

"Good evening Jeral, I am Valen, I come bearing a message from my mistress. She has valuable information for you and welcomes the opportunity to meet you."

"What information is that my lady?"

Valen shrugged her shoulders and continued to stare at Jeral.

"That I do not know sire, my mistress bade me to bring you this message and nothing more."

"Where am I to meet your mistress should this interest me?"

"That is as easy as falling asleep. Just come to the graveyard any night after dark and she will find you."

Jeral formally faced the woman and nodded his head respectfully.

"Thank you for the message, I will consider it."

"Consider it well; for you do not want to upset my mistress, that would be… unwise."

With that last ominous statement hanging in the air she swiftly walked away.

"Boo says she is evil and not to be trusted."

"Thank you Minsc, and thank you as well Boo. But I really did not need anyone to tell me that. Anyone who wants to arrange a meeting in the graveyard at night is not to be trusted, that is pretty much common sense."

Jeral put the odd conversation out of his mind and continued towards the slums district and the Copper Coronet. Viconia placed a hand on Jeral's forearm and he slowed his pace as Nalia and Anomen moved ahead.

"Jeral this city may not be safe for you."

Jeral chuckled at the drow. "Living has not been safe for me for some time."

"Listen fool. That woman was unnatural, and very dangerous. Stay away from her and her mistress."

Viconia removed her hand from Jeral's arm and quickly strode away to catch up with Nalia and Squire Anomen leaving a very confused bard in her wake.

The companions settled into a table at the Copper Coronet. The bar was hot, crowded, and noisy, but it felt very cozy to the entire group. Bernard came over to the table to greet his guests.

"Ahhhh, it is always nice to see repeat customers. What can we get you fine folks this evening?"

Jeral leaned back in his chair and pulled a small pouch heavy with coins from his belt.

"Food, drink and three of your best double rooms please Bernard."

"Of course sir, happy to oblige."

"Here is a down payment on the rooms. Please hold them for us until the money runs out. Also I would like us to run a tab."

Any concern Bernard had about running a tab disappeared when he felt the weight of the coin purse Jeral had tossed him.

"Of course sire. Just give me a second and I will have Malinda come over and take your order. It is always nice to have quality customers; sadly that is all too rare an occurrence around here."

Viconia snapped her hand imperiously. "And prepare baths for two in one of the rooms. Unlike the men at this table we women require a bath before food and drink."

Bernard nodded at the drow's order and commanded a passing serving maid to have the kitchen heat water for a pair of bathing tubs.

Nalia patted Bernard kindly on his forearm as she rose to depart the common room. Touched by the kind gesture Bernard headed back to the bar with a broad grin on his meaty face.

Viconia and Nalia quickly disappeared upstairs to bathe and freshen up while Anomen departed to check in with the Order. After placing his gear in one of the bedrooms Jeral returned downstairs and ordered a pitcher of ale, a wheel of cheese and a loaf of bread. Jeral drank deeply and enjoyed the strong dark ale as he waited for Yoshimo and Minsc to return from selling their excess equipment and treasure.

 _I wonder how Imoen is?_

Jeral worried about his sister's fate as he drained his mug and poured himself a second. He drained that as well and his mood darkened as he imagined Imoen in captivity. It started to eat at him and Jeral felt his blood race as he swore to himself yet again that he would free Imoen and have his revenge on Irenicus.

"Why does Jeral look so sad? It is because little Nalia lost her home and her father?"

Jeral looked up into the concerned face on the large ranger. Standing to the side was the bounty hunter, and unlike Minsc he looked as if he did not have a care in the world. He was fighting to hold back a smile as he looked at the troubled bard.

"You two did not take long. I trust the visit was successful?"

Yoshimo smiled broadly as he slid into a chair across from Jeral. Yoshimo leisurely poured mugs of ale for himself and Minsc. He then tore off large hunks of bread and sliced the wheel of cheese into manageable pieces. He even put together a small pile of bread crumbs and cheese for Boo and everyone watched as the furry rodent scurried across the table to gorge on the food placed before him.

"It was very successful Jeral. The items we sold earned top prices from Ribald. All told we earned slightly in excess of nine thousand gold after expenses; so split five ways…."

"Six ways Yoshimo, Nalia is one of us now."

"Of course Jeral. As I was saying split six ways it is just over fifteen hundred coins each."

Jeral nodded approvingly, "that is a sizeable sum of coin. Well done Yoshimo."

"Indeed it is Jeral, and I would like to donate all of mine save fifty gold, to the cause of rescuing your sister."

"That is very generous Yoshimo. Why would you do that? You hardly know Imoen."

"I understand the love of a sister and in the short time I have spent with Imoen I can see her true goodness. So long as I fight at your side I will aid in your quest in all ways."

"Minsc will do the same as the brave Yoshimo. Minsc has few needs and will do everything he can to help free Imoen."

Yoshimo quickly counted out 50 gold coins and tucked them into his coin purse. He did the same for Minsc and then started to sort the money on the table into six equal piles. Jeral noticed many stealing covetous glances at the massive pile of money and fixed Yoshimo with a quizzical glare.

"Yoshimo, it is wise to be so open with these funds?"

"Jeral, the Copper Coronet is run by a fellow named Lehtinan. He is accustomed to very wealthy visitors and ensures their safety, for failure to do so would ruin his business."

"Is he a thin fellow with long greasy brown hair? Usually trailed by a pair of huge bodyguards?"

"How could you possibly know that Jeral?"

"Because I think he is approaching the table right now."

"Excuse me."

The group turned to see a small man with greasy hair standing by the table.

"I am Lehtinan, the owner of this fine establishment. Bernard informed me that you wished to open a line of credit for lodgings, food and beverage. If you are interested, and if you have the coin, I have other avenues for distraction and entertainment for discerning and discrete customers."

"Well then my good Lehtinan, let us not remain strangers, I am Jeral, this is Minsc and Yoshimo. Our other companions are indisposed at the moment."

Greetings were exchanged all around. Jeral leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his head. "So what other types of entertainment can you offer my good man?"

"Herummm, well we have companionship, games of chance, blood sport and even some black lotus should you like to partake."

"Well I am a big fan of companionship; in fact I can never pass up a good woman, or maybe two good women for it has been a profitable week."

Minsc stared open mouthed at Jeral's comments; fortunately Lehtinan was not paying any attention to him and remained focused on Jeral.

"Excellent, we have pleasure slaves upstairs, see Madame Nin at your convenience. I will grant you all access to our exclusive entertainment options."

"Wonderful. Thank you Lehtinan. I think we are all tired from travel tonight but tomorrow night I for one would like a good woman and perhaps some black lotus."

"Until tomorrow night then." Lehtinan have a slight bow and headed back to the bar.

The trio returned to their drinks as the waited for the others to return to the group. After a little while Anomen returned to the table and quickly slid into a seat at the table. His face was flushed red and he looked angry.

"Does something trouble you good Helmite?"

Anomen glared at Yoshimo and took a deep breath of air that he slowly let out. Shaking his head slowly he smiled weakly at Yoshimo.

"A fair question friend. This should be a wonderful evening but it is not."

"Did things not go well at the Order?"

"Quite the contrary Jeral, the Order is pleased that I am traveling with you. They are aware of your nature and hope that I can ensure you do not stray from the light. I was concerned that they would forbid me to travel with you so this is very welcome news. Very welcome indeed. This will assuredly aid me in advancing in the Order."

Jeral sat up straight in his chair and eyed Anomen through narrowed eyes.

"So you are spying on me?"

"Jeral, I have committed to serve and follow you to rescue your sister but I will not forsake my vows to the Order or to Helm. I have a requirement to report on our activities. I see no conflict between those two priorities."

Looking to head off an argument Yoshimo quickly chimed in, "So what has caused you such distress then Squire Anomen?"

"Ahhhh, I received a message from my father. He heard that I had joined a group of adventurers and he has commanded me to deliver my earnings to him so he may salvage his merchant house."

"You are a good son Squire Anomen. I am sure you father is very proud of you."

Nalia trailed a gentle hand across Anomen's shoulders as she seated herself between Minsc and the Hemlite. Distracted by Nalia's appearance Anomen lost his train of thought and stared at the young mageling. Nalia wore a simple mage robe of dark green and had a black towel wrapped around her shoulders as her dripping wet hair hung unkempt around her face. Nalia took an ivory comb and slowly started to work it through her hair as Anomen started open mouthed.

"Helmite, has not your precious Order taught you any manners at all? It is considered poor taste to stare at a woman."

Anomen and Nalia blushed furiously as Viconia strode up to the table. She was clad in her black dressing gown trimmed in purple and had a green towel around her shoulders. She pulled out the one remaining chair at the table and sat down between Minsc and Yoshimo.

"So I take it your relationship with your father is complicated Anomen?"

"Complicated is not the word for it Jeral. My father is a horrible drunk and a bitter man. Were it not for my sister I would have disowned him and broken off all contact long ago. As it is I suffer him as best I can for the sake of my sister."

"Anomen, we have each earned 1500 in gold for our trek to Nalia's keep. I hope that those funds will help your sister and family in some small way."

Yoshimo wordlessly placed one of the large piles of coins in a well made sack and handed it to Anomen. He then repeated the process sliding heavy pouches towards Nalia and Viconia.

Yoshimo then slid the remaining coins on the table into a large backpack. That he placed in front of Jeral.

"This should hold approximately 4500 gold coins, which is a sizeable down payment towards Gaelen Bayle's fee."

"Indeed it is Yoshimo. Do you think Gaelen would be up for visitors at this late hour? I would love to drop off these monies with him so we are no longer responsible for them."

"What are you doing with all of your wealth Jeral?"

"Nalia, I need to free my sister, she was taken by the Cowled Wizards. I need to pay 20000 before the Shadow Thieves will reveal their location."

"That is terrible. Take my gold."

"Thank you but no. You need to rebuild your life, you will have need of that coin."

"Jeral I intend to stay with you and the others here. I need friends and a purpose right now, so this is my home. I will keep 500 for spell components and donate the other 1000 towards your sister's rescue."

"You have my thanks Lady Nalia that is more than generous."

"Spare me from weak willed surfacers and their idiotic notions of generosity. Still I am somewhat fond of Imoen, she was always kind to me. I will donate 500 to the cause." Viconia sighed heavily as she watched Yoshimo claim the coins.

Yoshimo quickly scooped up the additional coins and added them to the pack on the table.

Anomen looked ashamed as he stared at the backpack.

"Jeral, I.I.I.I…"

"Squire Anomen, you have your own family to care for. Take your share to your family with my compliments. Your strength in battle is more than enough to aid our cause."

Anomen nodded glumly, bid everyone goodnight, and excused himself from the table.

"Yoshimo, please take these 6000 coins to Gaelen Bayle."

"Minsc and Boo will escort the good bounty hunter." Yoshimo strapped the pack to his back and the pair quickly left the tavern. Jeral was confident that they would manage the short walk to Gaelen's house without incident.

"So Jeral, how did your sister draw the ire of the Cowled Wizards in the first place?"

Jeral took a deep drink of his ale and leaned back in his chair as he thought about how best to respond.

"Well Nalia, that is a very long story but suffice it to say that it is all my fault."

"Jeral, I find that hard to believe. You love your foolish pink haired sister and would never do anything to endanger her."

"Trust me Viconia this is my fault. I have placed Imoen in danger and I fear that any who travel with me are in constant danger as well."

Jeral paused as he considered how much to tell the pair of women.

"You both deserve to know the truth. A little over a year ago I was forced to flee my home in the middle of the night. I was repeatedly set upon my assassins and pursued by those who were interested in my parentage and wanted to ensure my death. Any who traveled with me became targeted"

Viconia and Nalia both leaned forward in their chairs, transfixed by Jeral's tale. Jeral looked around the crowded tavern to ensure no others were listening before he continued.

"In the course of fighting for my life Imoen and I met Minsc and Viconia and traveled with each of them for a time. To my eternal shame I allowed Viconia to be forced from the party by an intolerant paladin named Ajantis. You have my deepest apologies Viconia of House de'Vir."

Viconia smirked and raised her goblet of wine as Jeral continued.

"After Viconia departed Minsc, Imoen and I traveled with the mage Dynaheir, the paladin Ajantis, a dwarf named Yeslick and eventually a man named Niklos. In caverns under the city of Baldur's Gate I encountered a man named Sarevok who was attempting to bring war to the Sword Coast."

"And you killed him, well done Jeral I am impressed."

"No need to be impressed Viconia. The truth of the matter is Sarevok was a great warrior. Stronger than Minsc, faster than you, and very well skilled he fought with a heavily enchanted two handed sword. We fought and I nearly died. In fact, Imoen was the one who saved my life. He ignored her at his own peril and she killed him while he was trying to kill me."

"Typical surfacer male, he forgot that the female is always the more dangerous one."

"So you and Minsc are the heroes of Baldur's Gate? Tales of your heroics reached us in our lands my father was very impressed by your heroics."

"Well there was nothing heroic about it Nalia. We fought to survive and tried to help those who needed it along the way."

"So what brought you south?"

"We departed Baldur's Gate in the depths of winter to return to Candlekeep. Along the way we were ambushed and taken prisoner. We were held for months and brutally tortured by a powerful mage named Irenicus. They killed our mage Dynaheir who was Minsc's witch, he has not fully recovered from her loss."

Nalia stifled a sob, "that poor man."

"Irenicus also killed Niklos, he was Imoen's husband."

Nalia struggled to control her sobbing , wiping the tears from her eyes as she continued to listen to Jeral's tale.

"How did you manage to escape Jeral? And why is there not a scratch or blemish on your skin? Minsc bears dozens of scars from his captivity yet you are unblemished." Viconia leaned forward and eyed Jeral critically.

"Some unknown group raided the mage's lair and we managed to escape in the confusion. During the escape we encountered Irenicus and Imoen attacked him. The Cowled Wizards arrived and took Irenicus and Imoen into captivity."

"I have heard tales of the Cowled Wizard prison Jeral, your sister will be in grave danger there. One thing of note that may aid you in your quest Jeral. I have a license to practice magic in the city. So long as you travel with me it will cover you as well. My father purchased it for me a number of years ago when I came of age."

"Jeral, there are parts of the story that are missing. Why did this mage capture you and your companions? Why do you bear no ill effects from your imprisonment? I know when a surfacer is avoiding the full truth."

"While in Baldur's Gate I learned that Gorion was not my father. He raised me from infancy but my true father was Bhaal."

Viconia raised an eyebrow as she continued to appraise Jeral critically.

"Jeral, are you saying that the Lord of Murder is your father?"

Jeral nodded grimly as he eyed the young mage. "Nalia that is exactly what I am saying."

"So you are one of the children from the prophecies of Alundo?"

"Yes."

"This is very hard to believe Jeral. Those prophecies are told by mothers to make their children go to bed. They are nothing more that legends and mist."

"Nalia, the fool speaks the truth. The time of troubles was real, Gods walked the land in mortal form. The prophecies are true. I have heard rumors of them since arriving on the surface. Since our first meeting there was something about Jeral, some hidden strength that set him apart from other surfacers. At times Jeral flashed glimpses of incredible speed and strength so his half divine blood could explain it. I suspect you have the ability to heal as well and that would explain the lack of scars."

Jeral only nodded.

Viconia crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair as she grinned broadly.

"I am traveling with a Bhallspawn, this should prove very interesting."

"THAT EXPLAINS IT!"

Jeral whirled to see Yoshimo staring open mouthed. His face paled in shock and Yoshimo looked deeply unsettled.

"Are you ok Yoshimo?"

Quickly regaining his composure Yoshimo waved a hand dismissively as he slid back into his chair.

"My apologies for the outburst Jeral but I wondered why the Shadow Thieves has such interest in you."

"Fear not good Yoshimo, Jeral is a force of goodness."

"Thanks for the words of support Minsc."

"Does Squire Anomen know?"

"He does Nalia."

"Will the Order force him to depart your company?"

"Actually the Order wants him to spy on me so he will be sticking around." Jeral could not keep the bitterness out of his voice. He did not notice that Nalia brightened up noticeably at the news that Anomen would remain with the group.

"Do not be naïve Jeral. Anomen is more open minded that you think."

"Viconia, I would not expect you to speak in support of a Helmite from the Order given your past experiences."

"Ajantis was a fool, and let me be very clear on this point; I chose to depart, he did not drive me out. I would have killed that child easily. As for Anomen, he surprisingly thoughtful for one of his ilk. I believe he has prayed on this matter and his Watcher God likely approves of his traveling with you and with me. I assure you that he and I may disagree at times but I should have no reason to kill him."

"Well that is good to hear Viconia."

Jeral stood and looked at each one of them in turn.

"Please understand all of you, the path I am on is a dangerous and bloody one. I am going to find this Irenicus, free my sister, and kill him. Any who travel with me will be in grave danger. I will not fault any of you for departing."

"Minsc and Boo have a debt to pay as well. We will see little Imoen free and fight by Jeral's side!" Minsc stood up and wrapped Jeral in a massive bear hug as he lifted him off the floor.

"While I am not going to hug you I too will travel with you Jeral. You did a tremendous service to me and I owe you a debt. Having lost my father I understand how important family is. Until Imoen is free I too travel at your side."

"My thanks lady Nalia."

"You have my katana at your service as well. I will see you reunited with your sister, this I swear."

"Thank you Yoshimo."

"This is all very dramatic. Stirring even. Despite the melodrama I too will travel with you Jeral. You have saved my life on two occasions so I am in your debt. Perhaps I will live to see your true power emerge."

Jeral just nodded at the drow as he freed himself from Minsc and returned to his seat.

The five ordered dinner and ate heartily. After dinner the party slowly drifted to bed until only Yoshimo, Jeral and Viconia remained seated at the table.

Yoshimo leaned back in his chair staring intently at Jeral.

"What can I do for you Yoshimo?"

"I apologize for staring. I have never been this close to one of the Gods before."

"HA! This one has a long way to go before there will be any trace of divinity within him."

"Thank you for the support Viconia."

"So Jeral am I to understand you plan to rescue your sister and challenge our captor?"

"Yes Yoshimo, I am going to find him, kill him, and free Imoen."

"Based on what I have seen you will need powerful friends, and great power yourself, to succeed. In my estimation, and I say this with the deepest respect, you need to learn how to fight in close combat to maximize your power and value to this group."

Jeral stared at Yoshimo in clear shock.

"What are you talking about? I know how to fight."

"Your sword fighting skills are lacking. You are as strong as any fighter, and faster than any I have ever seen yet you lack any true measure of martial skill."

Jeral forced himself to count to ten before he replied. When he did he spoke slowly and softly.

"Yoshimo, I sense that the words are spoken to aid not injure, so I take them for the helpful advice that they seem. I was educated my the greatest mage in the realm. My knowledge of tactics and military history is without peer. While in Baldur's Gate I trained under one of the finest blade masters in the land."

"Despite that your time in captivity has dulled your edge."

I suppose that is true enough Yoshimo. I would welcome the combat lessons from one such as you."

Bowing slightly the thief continued, "I hope I have not overstepped my bounds. But for you to succeed, for this group to succeed it is clear that it needs a third strong warrior. I would also suggest you train at times with Minsc and Anomen to get familiar with different opponents and fighting styles. I suspect you will learn to best me very soon so they will provide more of a challenge in the future. "

"Yoshimo is right. Your parentage ensures that you will always be under threat. Therefore you need to gain power to ensure your survival and to protect those closest to you."

"So do you agree with Yoshimo then about my martial prowess?"

"Absolutely. You have limited arcane ability so your weapons must be your power. You need to forsake the long bow and focus on close combat for archery is inadequate against the more powerful threats. If you improve your skills and master fighting with two blades you should become an adequate combatant."

"Well let's hear it for adequate."

"Jeral, mock me if you will but if you want to rescue your sister and survive then you must become strong enough to defeat anyone or anything that crosses your path."

"The drow speaks truly Jeral. From what little I know of this Irenicus only the very strongest have any hope of standing against him. For your sister's sake you must master the blades."

"Well who am I to argue with the two of you. I will sell the long bow and focus on the blades. I will need better swords at some point."

Viconia stood up and languidly stretched. Jeral could not fail to notice that every man in the tavern eyed her form underneath the silken dressing gown. She leaned in close to Jeral and whispered in his ear.

"I have claimed you male, and when I deem you worthy I will welcome you into my bed and show you delights that you cannot imagine. Also, never touch that accursed elvish long bow again. Hands that touch elven equipment shall never touch me." She nipped Jeral's ear lobe and then majestically strode off to bed.

Jeral flushed as he watched Viconia walk away. Realizing that Yoshimo was smirking at his discomfort Jeral quickly regained his composure and eyed Yoshimo.

"You speak wisely bounty hunter and I look forward to my first lesson. But not tonight. I am sharing a room with Anomen so you get Minsc."

With a smile and a wave Jeral headed upstairs to bed.

The following day found the party all grouped together in the common room for a late breakfast. The large chamber was almost deserted as most patrons had already departed the inn for the day.

Yoshimo and Jeral were the last to join the group at the table. The pair entered the common room drenched in sweat and covered in hay and dirt. Jeral and Yoshimo sat down at the table and started peeling off the layers of rags that covered their blades during their sparring practice.

Nalia wrinkled her nose as the pair settled down at the table.

"Not that I do not enjoy your company but you two reek of the stables."

"My apologies Nalia. Our sparring got a little intense, neither of us likes to lose."

"Well for all of our sakes go bathe and then come back."

Chastened by the mage Jeral and Yoshimo departed to bathe. When they returned to the table they found the remains of a large breakfast on the table and the other four were engaged in a lively discussion over steaming cups of mint tea.

"I fail to see the problem," Viconia said shaking her head, "slavery is a common enough occurrence throughout the land, both above and below ground."

"Slavery is illegal in Athkatla and it is also immoral," Anomen replied sharply. "Although I would not expect a dark elf to know anything about morality."

"Spare me your pious judgment Helmite. The strong will always lead the weak; it is merely a matter of the form of the leadership. Some societies use slavery, others nobility, feat of arms or government. The result is always the same, the strong and the smart rule over the rest, that is the way of the world."

Viconia quickly continued before anyone could get upset with her words.

"However, if you wish to intervene in this case, I have no problem killing slave masters and freeing the slaves here. In fact it could be quite profitable."

"Can I ask how this conversation started?"

"Minsc informed us that the proprietor of this fine establishment introduced himself to you, Minsc and Yoshimo last night. He also implied that this establishment had a brothel and a fighting pit. The Order has heard rumors about fighting pits that use slaves as combatants but has never been able to locate one. It seems you have already made more progress than the Order."

"Well Anomen I have no taste for slavery so I am willing to investigate."

"Nalia what do you think?" Jeral inquired.

"As much as it pains me to admit it I do see some merit in Viconia's words for the commoner will always be ruled one way or another. However, we must free any slaves that are held here. It is our moral obligation."

"Jeral the slavers in this city are powerful and have many friends. We must tread carefully for they are not to be trifled with."

"Well we have heard from our bounty hunter, what do you think Minsc?"

"Boo says anyone who keeps others in cages is bad. Minsc and Boo both hate cages. We must deliver the boot of justice to the foul slavers!"

"Well who can argue with a hamster and a ranger? Let's take a look around then shall we? Everyone head up stairs and grab a small weapon, spell book, whatever you can carry without looking too intimidating. We are supposed to be looking for good time, not trouble." After a few short minutes the party regrouped. No one was wearing armor. Nalia had a dagger on the belt of her robes while everyone else had a single weapon hanging on their belt or back. Minsc was the notable exception for he carried Sarevok's massive warblade in a scabbard on his back. Together they headed towards the guarded back rooms. A pair of burly bouncers clad in boilder leather tunics, short swords at their sides,blocked their way.

"I am Jeral and these are my friends. Lehtinan granted us access to the back rooms last night." The two large men looked over to Bernard for confirmation. They received a slight nod in response and stepped to the side. The party entered and faced stairs to their left and doors straight ahead and left.

"Well Minsc, you are the tracker in the group. Which way does your sense of direction tell us to go?"

"Minsc does not know but Boo says we should go upstairs."

"Very well, lead on Minsc." The party carefully walked up a flight of stairs. They opened the door into a large room that was brightly lit, carpeted and furnished with numerous small tables and a small bar in the corner. A small bell rang as they opened the door. An older heavy set woman in a gaudy blue dress entered on the far side of the room and moved quickly towards the group. A cloud of perfume and powder followed her across the room.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen. I am Madame Nin, what kind of companionship interests you today? I have men, women, boys and girls. Whatever you want Madame Nin can provide, for a suitable fee of course. As my first customers of the day I am happy to provide you with a substantial discount as well." She opened a silken fan and fluttered it in front of her face as she smiled through heavily colored lips.

Jeral politely inquired. "Can we see what you have? Hate to pay for anything sight unseen."

Madame Nin smiled and clapped her hands together twice. Within a minute a dozen scantily clad women slowly walked in the room followed by four shirtless men wearing very tight pants. They lined up in a row in front of the adventurers. A few smiled but most looked listless and resigned to their fate.

"So how much?"

Madame Nin smiled and rubbed her hands together.

"Well you can pay for companionship by the hour or for the entire day and night. An hour costs 10 gold, while the entire day and night costs twenty five. Prices are the same for the men and the women. Since you are my first customers of the day I can give you your first hour for say, six gold."

"Madame Nin, you are most gracious. However, we are in the mood to celebrate for we have recently come into an extremely large sum of money. We will take all of them for an hour and will pay no more than 75 gold." Jeral stood up and counted out 75 pieces of gold.

"Do we have a deal?"

"Of course sire," Madame Nin quickly scooped up the coins into the folds of her dress.

"Good, now leave us so we can enjoy our companions. You may return in one hour, and not a minute before."

Madame Nin turned over an hourglass and quickly shuffled out of the chamber.

"Jeral, I thought you were a force for goodness, explain yourself."

Anomen stood stiffly, red faced, and glared at Jeral.

"Yes Jeral, I agree with Squire Anomen, this is a side of you I have yet to see. I for one do not like it. These types of activities hold no interest to me."

Viconia stared at Anomen and then Nalia.

"Fools, can you not see a lie when it is given? Particularly from one as obvious as Jeral, he could not fool the slowest drow child. He clearly wants to investigate the slavery in the back rooms here and needed to lie to convince Madame Nim of our unsavory reputations."

Anomen and Nalia both looked at Jeral for confirmation.

"Viconia speaks truly. Sometimes one needs to be a little dishonest for a greater good."

After a few minutes of hushed conversations the party had determined that the concubines were all slaves. They were taken violently from their home villages and forced into prostitution and received only food and lodging while Madame Nin and Lehtinan kept all the profits. Most of the slaves were kept imprisoned in various back rooms. Those who did not make enough money from the customers were sent to the fighting ring to fight one another and various beasts. Dozens of new slaves came weekly to replace those killed in the pits.

After listening to their plight for five minutes Jeral held up a hand to silence the slaves.

"Effective today this place is closed. I do not like slavery. I do not mind prostitution-in fact I kind of like it, so long as everyone is willing and well paid but that clearly does not apply in this case. Stay here. We are going to check out the cells and see what we can do about closing this place down. We should be back before the hour glass runs out."

Jeral and the others headed back down the stairs and headed for the back rooms. Viconia noticed two doors concealed along the left wall. The first opened onto a Black Lotus den where soiled cushions and low tables were strewn across the room. The den was currently empty but smelled of sweat, black lotus and alcohol. The second door led to a flight of stairs heading down. The smell of sewage was clearly noticeable. The party ignored both doors and the group continued on to a large, metal banded door at the end of the hallway. Jeral tried the door and found that it was unlocked.

"Okay folks, better get ready for trouble, the concubines warned us that half a dozen guards are always on duty back here."

Jeral tucked his hands in his belt, started whistling and shouldered the door open. The party strode into the guard room. The far wall was lined with cages that were full of dozens of men and women, they looked ill fed and all were dirty and clothed in rags.

"Hey, no one is allowed back here." A deep voice growled a warning at the party.

Jeral turned and saw a large man wearing splint mail and holding a bastard sword walking down a flight of stairs. Another half dozen guards were seated at a large table at the top of the stairs, they looked at the group with disinterest and continued playing cards and eating their mid day meal.

"We are guests of Leinthan and are just looking for some action." Jeral replied.

"That does not matter. This area is off limits to guests, you had better leave, or else."

Smiling Jeral turned to face the guard.

"Actually I am putting this place under new management. So if you want to keep your job and your head you will hand me the keys to the cells."

"Fat chance of that boyo. Guards! To me!"

The first guard raised his bastard sword and lunged at Jeral. Jeral wiggled his fingers and jets of flame leapt out into the guards face. The man fell to the ground screaming in pain as the smell of charred flesh accosted Jeral's nose. Minsc and Anomen raced past Jeral and sprinted up the stairs to engage the remaining guards. Yoshimo started flinging daggers he had tucked in various hidden spots in his clothing as Nalia cast magic missiles at the guards on the platform. Viconia walked past Jeral and put the burned guard out of his misery with one swing of her enchanted war hammer. Jeral raced up the stairs to assist Minsc and Anomen. By the time he arrived upstairs the surviving two guards were battling Minsc and Anomen. Jeral drew his long sword and joined in. The two guards quickly joined their colleagues in death. Anomen and Minsc had a number of minor wounds that Viconia quickly healed. Yoshimo methodically searched the corpses. Smiling he stood up.

"They were well paid guards, over thirty gold between them."

"By the Gods man, have mercy, can you not free us?"

Jeral turned to locate the sound of the voice. In the central cage stood a large man of late middle age, Taller than Jeral and almost as broad as Minsc. He was heavily muscled and his body was covered with hundreds of massive scars. _That is one tough looking warrior,_ Jeral mused.

"Of course we can free you; I have no taste for slavery. I am Jeral of Candlekeep and these are my friends. Who are you?"

"I am Hendak. I have been a captive here, fighting in the pit for years. I am what passes for a leader amongst the slaves here and I do what I can to protect them from Lehtinan and his guards."

Nalia bent down to examine the lock on his cage.

"Yoshimo, please take a look at this lock. It is unlike any I have ever seen."

The bounty hunter strode over and knelt down next to Nalia. "Ah, Nalia, I have rarely seen locks such as these. They are normal locks that have been magically enchanted to render them all but impossible to pick. There must be an enchanted key for these locks."

"You are right sire, the Beastmaster holds the key to our cells." Hendak said. "You can find him with his animals in the pens on the far side of the fighting pit."

"Very well, we will be back for you and your companions as soon as we get the key Hendak."

"May the battle Gods bless you and your blades Jeral."

The party left the guard chamber and entered the fighting pits. The large fighting ring was framed by bleachers on one side and kennels on the far side of the pits. There they were accosted by a winter wolf; before they could attack it Minsc walked forward, knelt down, and started talking to the beast. After a moment the wolf started wagging its tail and walked alongside Minsc like an obedient puppy. Jeral walked towards a long row of animal pens. A human voice could be heard at the end of the pen.

"Stay here," Jeral ordered.

"Hail master of the beasts, I am Jeral of Candlekeep. Lehtinan bade me to fetch the key from you. He is selling me some of the chattel that he keeps here."

"Did he really? Well Jeral of Candlekeep I sincerely doubt that."

Sneering the Beastmaster took a step back and slid a metal lever on the wall to the side. On both sides of the corridor, cages noisily started sliding open. Jeral caught glimpses of bears and a panther before he turned and started to run back towards the rest of the party.

The Beastmaster cried, "Feed my pets! Fresh meat today!" and pulled an arrow from his quiver.

Jeral felt an arrow skim by his head, _that was close_. The thought had just entered his head when a second arrow tore into his left shoulder, quickly followed by a third that embedded itself in his left buttock. He bit back the scream that rose in his throat and continued to stagger towards his companions.

 _How is he firing so quickly?_ Jeral wondered.

Jeral tripped and stumbled to the ground at the feet of his companions.

"Guess we will have to do this the hard way," Jeral mumbled.

Jeral reached back to his shoulder and used his limited healing powers to stop most of the bleeding.

Nalia stepped forward and launched a cloudkill spell down the hallway. The roar of animals in pain could be heard from within the billowing mass of poisonous vapors. A black bear lumbered out of the cloud, followed closely by a black panther. Minsc, Anomen and the charmed winter wolf stepped forward to attack the wounded animals and they were quickly dispatched. A large Minotaur lumbered out of the cloud roaring in anger. He was wielding a serrated double headed axe and swinging it blindly. Yoshimo's daggers and Nalia's spells had the Minotaur bloodied and weakened before he could reach Minsc and Anomen. The beast fell to a final mace blow from Anomen.

"We do good deeds this day for Helm surely smiles upon us!" Anomen roared with pride as he stood over the fallen minotaur.

An arrow shot out of the mist and struck Anomen squarely in the throat. Normally such a strike would not penetrate the high metal gorget Anomen wore to protect his neck as part of his set of full plate mail. However, unarmored as he was the arrow met no resistance as it tore into the Helmite. A geyser of blood spurted from his throat and he fell to the floor. Nalia screamed in rage and quickly launched a fireball into the cloud towards the unseen archer. A scream of pain followed by the sounds of someone burning alive verified that she hit, and incinerated, her target. She then dropped to the floor and cradled Anomen's head on her lap.

"Viconia, please help him for he is dying."

Viconia walked over and knelt down beside the fallen cleric. She quickly turned his head from side to side so she could fully assess the man's wound.

"Do not worry child, the fool will live. Minsc, hold him down. I must do this carefully to avoid any additional damage. If I slip he may never speak again."

Minsc obeyed while Yoshimo kept watch on the poison clouded hallway. Viconia broke off the end of the arrow near the fletching, grabbed the shaft of the arrow, and pushed it fully through Anomen's throat. Flesh and blood poured out of the wound as Viconia removed the arrow head from the Helmite's neck. Anomen moaned and Nalia passed out. Viconia cast a healing spell and closed the wound at the front of his throat. She then rolled Anomen over and cast a second spell on the back of his throat. With his wounds closed, his breathing soon returned to normal.

"Can I get some help here?" Jeral asked.

Viconia, Yoshimo and Minsc all looked over to see Jeral pulling himself up off the ground and starting to limp towards them. Blood trailed in his footsteps. Viconia moved towards Jeral while Yoshimo walked down the newly cleared hall towards the cages. With little preamble Viconia ripped out one arrow and then the other from Jeral's skin. She used her remaining healing spells to close his wounds and Jeral's ring quickly took care of the remaining damage. Yoshimo came walking out of the hallway carrying an ornate short bow trimmed in electrum and a large bronze key. He tossed the short bow to Jeral.

"I think the fair lady Nalia would like this once she awakens. It survived the fire so it must have a heavy enchantment upon it."

"Please go unlock the cages Yoshimo. Free Hendak and the others, they look tough enough to handle the guards without too much difficulty. Minsc, go with him. We will stay here while we catch our breath and wait for Anomen and Nalia to wake up."

Yoshimo, Minsc and the wolf left the room. The sound of opening cages was soon replaced by shouts of joy and then the sounds of fierce combat as the freed slaves engaged Lehtinan and the guards throughout the Copper Coronet.

Nalia and Anomen awoke at about the same time. Jeral helped Anomen slowly get to his feet and then the Helmite gallantly extended a hand to Nalia to do the same.

"What happened?"

Nalia answered the priest before anyone else could, "you were shot in the throat, Viconia saved your life, else you would have bled to death."

Anomen scratched his beard and he slowly rubbed his aching neck.

"It seems I owe you a debt of gratitude drow. My thanks. You do continue to surprise me."

Viconia merely nodded. The four slowly headed back to the common room of the Copper Coronet. They passed the now entry slave cages and entered the common room of the inn. A couple dozen bodies were strewn across the room. Most were guards but a few of the freed slaves had been killed fighting for their freedom. The common room was quiet. Hendak and his fellow slaves had killed Lehtinan and all of his guards. The winter wolf lay on the ground dead from multiple arrows. Minsc and Yoshimo were speaking with Hendak and Bernard by the bar. Bernard clearly had no qualms about the death of Lehtinan.

Hendak saw the remainder of the group approaching and a broad grin crossed his face.

"Our saviors, you have our thanks."

With that a cheer arose in the bar as the newly freed slaves and concubines all applauded and shouted their thanks.

"I have decided to keep the Copper Coronet open, under new management of course. I always wanted to own a bar. Bernard and the kitchen help have agreed to stay on for a nice raise in pay so I expect things to run here smoothly despite the change in ownership."

Smiling the heavily scarred gladiator handed Jeral an ornate long sword and a large bag of gems.

"This is from Lehtinan's private stock. The sword is called the Blade of Roses; it was Lehtinan's prize possession and he spoke of it often. It is a very powerful weapon, and I am told it helps one with the ladies."

Upon seeing the scowl that crossed Viconia's face Hendak hastily added, "not that you would ever have need of such assistance. You will also get a substantial discount on all future stays and purchases here. By the way," he added winking at Jeral, "the brothel will remain open. Staffed fully by volunteers of course. I expect better quality at a lower price now."

"Our thanks Hendak, we were happy to help."

After taking a deep breath Hendak spoke again.

"Despite all you have done for us I have another request. There are more slaves in the city. I do not know where their facility is located but they would often bring slaves here through an underground corridor located by the slave cells in back. The passageway should lead you right to them. They kept the children there, we must free them as well."

Jeral nodded wearily as he made his way towards the stairs.

"We will do what we can Hendak. Let us rest for a few hours and we will then take a look."


	7. Sewers, swords and slavers

_Greetings all, things got a bit busy so my target of a chapter a week fell by the wayside._

 _NoNameBis -thanks for the review and the feedback. Sorry you hated the bit about Imoen in Chapter 1. I must confess that I laughed out loud at your face palming comment. I will try and minimize the face palming for readers moving forward. Thank you again._

 _From a story stand point I think Yoshimo is really interesting, so making the protagonist something other than a thief was essential to ensure Yoshimo's membership in the group made sense. Just my thinking on it._

Chapter 7: Sewers, swords and slavers

By late afternoon the party was back in the common room of the Coronet. Everyone was back in their armor and carrying all the equipment needed for combat. Since they were remaining in the city they left their traveling gear secured in their rooms. Lady Nalia was the last one to come downstairs. She walked up the others at the table toying with the string on the newly acquired bow. Her face was flushed and she was fighting to hold back a grin as she eyed the others.

"This short bow is wonderful! A quick divination spell made it all so clear to me." she gushed.

"It is enchanted so it fires arrows more quickly than a normal bow, and it is more accurate than a regular bow as well."

She looked down at the floor, shuffling from foot to foot as she mumbled, "May I keep it please?"

Laughing the others said she could keep it and then they all sat down to an early supper. Hendak had the kitchen prepare a feast of roast duck, eel soup and a baked pastry filled with cheese, greens and exotic spices. The group washed it all down with mugs of watered down ale.

Hendak had closed the Copper Coronet for the day to ensure that their plans to search for the slavers compound remained a secret. Jeral doubted that it would make a difference, for the slavers assuredly had ears everywhere, but Hendak was insistent that it would help.

Over supper the party had a lively discussion about their planned activities for the evening. Yoshimo sat quietly and ate sparingly until he could no longer stay silent.

"Jeral, forgive my boldness but attacking the slavers in their own lair is madness. You cannot place yourself in such danger. You are new to the city of coin but believe me when I say that the slavers are a force to be feared within this city."

"What's wrong Yoshimo, getting cautious in your old age? Besides I am in no more danger than anyone else."

"Of course not Jeral," Yoshimo shot back, "I am merely trying to be the voice of reason. We must reunite you with your sister and this feels like a distraction. A very dangerous distraction."

Yoshimo paused and continued in a much softer voice, "I apologize for my outburst Jeral I am just concerned for your safety."

"No problem Yoshimo, I am pretty concerned about my safety as well. I am also concerned for your safety and that of the others as well. This does not feel like a distraction, this feels like the right thing to do."

Jeral rose and shifted his shoulders as he adjusted to the weight of his new chainmail armor. Hendak had taken his measurements and sent a runner to purchase the mail shirt for him. While not enchanted in the least it was well made and would provide a fair manner of protection when combined with his quickness and magical protections. Hendak also spent some time with Jeral and a couple of leather workers working on the placement of his blades and adjusting his equipment accordingly.

The Blade of Roses was slung low on his left hip where he could quickly draw it across his body while his heavily enchanted short sword was strapped to his left thigh. The placement would allow for a straight draw with his left hand. Hendak had adjusted Jeral's equipment and practiced with him to unsheathe his weapons until he could draw both swords in mere seconds. Hendak beamed with pride as the old gladiator watched Jeral prepare for his assault on the slavers lair.

"I wish all of you the best. I would proudly fight by your side but I cannot, for my fellow gladiators and I must remain ready to protect the inn. I have already heard rumors that the slavers may attack this tavern to place us all back in chains. I cannot allow that to happen. I will not allow that to happen. We will die free men before we shall live again in chains."

Hendak wore a pair of short swords strapped on his legs and directed a score of armed men and women to guard the doors to the tavern.

"I look forward to sparring with you, I am sure you can teach me a few things Master Hendak."

Jeral shook hands with the grim looking man and turned to follow Yoshimo and the others as they headed towards the back hallway in the Coronet. Once there they entered the stairwell heading down into the sewers.

 _How I hate sewers,_ Jeral mused. _I have been in sewers far too often for my liking. Sewers beneath Baldur's Gate, sewers escaping Irenicus, and now sewers under the slums. The books in Candlekeep all said that sewers are a technical marvel indicating an advanced civilization. The tomes also mentioned that they greatly reduced the incidence of plague although no one is sure what this is the case. I bet not one of those sages ever set as much as a foot in a sewer._

Trudging through knee deep waste water was not anyone's idea of fun. Recent rains added to the depth of the water in the sewers but they had not managed to improve the smell. Nalia had already thrown up twice and Jeral's stomach rumbled unsteadily as the stench assaulted his senses. Viconia had yet to run out of rather colorful curses in her native tongue as she gingerly stepped through the waste.

 _I guess that having dinner before entering a sewer was not the best idea. Have to remember that for next time,_ Jeral thought wryly.

The party came across small roving bands of kobolds and hobgoblins and killed some random slimes and other unpleasant creatures. Jeral was pleased to note that his new long sword felt perfect in his hand. The long sword felt like a natural extension of his arm and the blade was incredibly sharp, cutting through shield and bone alike without any hesitation.

As they progressed through the sewer Minsc collected a seemingly random collection of odds and ends. When asked about them the large ranger said that Boo had told him to bring the items along with him for they would prove useful. Jeral found that hard to believe. How could a withered hand, a ring off a skeletal hand, a kobold shaman's staff, and the blood of a carrion crawler serve any useful purpose? Carrion crawler blood did have use as a spell component and in making paralytic potions but Mince could not possibly know that.

After a visit to a side room full of sewage pipes that was home to a disembodied voice, Minsc had a new heavily enchanted sword to wield. He beamed with pride as he took test swings with the new sword. The blade was polished to a high sheen with gold and platinum accents that only added to its luster. The blade radiated power. Minsc sheathed Sarevok's two handed sword and lovingly cradled the new weapon in his massive arms.

"Minsc loves his new shiny sword. Many evil butts will receive sharp justice from Minsc and Boo!"

Jeral had to agree that Minsc was not well suited to wield Sarevok's dark war blade, so this new two handed sword seemed like a better fit for the large ranger and his unique personality. Nalia divined that the blade was heavily enchanted and did not detect any evil within the weapon. Minsc gleefully took massive practice swings with the blade as they continued through the tunnels.

The six companions soon found themselves at the base of a ladder heading upwards. Ten feet above the ladder ended in a heavy wooden trap door in the ceiling. This was clearly not an original entry to the sewers skilled stone masons has created an opening into the sewers and covered over the opening with the wooden trap door.

Yoshimo whispered as he silently scampered up the ladder. "This must be the slaver compound."

He pulled a small vial from his tools and spread a black fluid over the exposed hinges.

Lady Nalia, overcome with curiosity whispered, "Yoshimo, what are you doing?"

"I am doing many things young noble. I am checking the trap door and ladder for traps. I am also oiling the hinges so when we open this door we can do so silently. We are very fortunate that the trap door opens down; otherwise the hinges would be on the other side of the door. Squeaking hinges are the bane of anyone looking to make a stealthy entrance."

Yoshimo proceeded to slide a thin metal rod up around the edges of the door. With a barely audible _snik_ Yoshimo retracted his tool from the door.

Smiling he intoned, "the door was barred but not locked, I slid the bar to the side, the door should open now silently and safely."

He then lightly hopped down to the floor, bowed slightly and motioned to Jeral, "after you fearless leader."

Smiling Jeral quietly climbed up the ladder, followed closely by Minsc. Jeral silently eased up the ladder, slid the trapdoor down, and peered into the room above. It was obviously a storeroom and was lit by half a dozen torches mounted in wall sconces at various points in the room. Large boxes were strewn haphazardly throughout the room. A half dozen armed men milled around in two groups at the far side of the room. Four were seated at a table playing cards while two others were reviewing a large ledger. Jeral crawled into the room and slid back into the shadows behind a waist high stack of crates. Minsc was next up the ladder, despite his bulk he was light on his feet and near silent even while clad in full plate armor. Minsc started to move towards Jeral while Anomen started to climb in the room.

"Let's go whack some eeeeeeeeevil!"

Jeral froze as a nasally high pitched voice rang out across the room. He could have sworn it came from near Minsc.

 _Can Boo speak?_ Jeral wondered.

Minsc looked confused, until a squeak from Boo roused him into action. Bellowing a Rashemite war cry Minsc charged across the room at the quartet of slavers with his newly found sword screaming out a string of nonsensical profanities in a high pitched wail. The card players quickly dropped their cards, grabbed their weapons and leapt to their feet to face the charging ranger.

Jeral drew his new long sword and his short sword and headed for the two men examining the ledger.

 _Two against one, not too bad for odds. I should be okay until the others come through the trap door._

The pair noticed his charge and the heavy ledger fell to the floor. One of the pair muttered something about useless payoffs to the city guards as he started throwing axes at Jeral while the second slaver nocked an arrow to his long bow. Jeral parried the first hurled axe with his long sword as he raced to close the gap with his opponents.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Minsc heavily engaged. The ranger bled from a couple of small wounds but smiled as he swung his new sword with powerful strikes, tearing into his opponents. One foe was already decapitated and a second man was down from a wicked slash to his side. Meanwhile the sword kept up a steady stream of bizarre and inappropriate comments.

Jeral felt a burning sensation as an arrow struck him a glancing blow in his ribs.

A _minor injury,_ Jeral thought, as he continued to close.

He dodged a second hurled axe and was mere steps from the slavers when a third hurled axe hit him squarely in the chest. A wave of pain surged through his body as he expelled a lungful of air and blood as he staggered back from the massive blow. He looked down and saw the axe head deeply embedded in the center of his chest. His legs would not respond properly and he struggled to remain upright as his vision clouded.

 _I wonder if this is how Khalid felt in Nashkel when he died?_ Jeral staggered backwards as he looked to retreat from his opponents as he fought to retain control of his limbs.

With a snarl his opponents dropped their ranged weapons and drew long swords. Before they could approach Jeral they suddenly froze in place.

Jeral looked back and saw that Anomen and Viconia had each completed a spell. Smiling Jeral collapsed to the floor, trusting his companions to protect him. Anomen and Nalia joined Minsc in finishing off the ranger's opponents while Yoshimo casually slit the throats of the pair of helpless slavers. Viconia slowly walked over to Jeral. She looked down on him with a bemused grin on her face as he coughed up another mouthful of blood.

"I see that you have yet to learn how to adequately protect yourself. How you have survived this long is beyond me J _aluk_. I wonder if I should have laid claim to a more powerful male. Yoshimo is right, you need to continue to practice to improve your close combat skills and you also need some better armor."

She placed a slime covered boot on his chest for leverage and yanked the axe out with one good pull. Tossing the bloody weapon aside she knelt down and cast healing spells until the gaping wound had closed. Jeral writhed in pain as he felt his lungs and ribs quickly knit back together. Jeral used his own minor healing abilities to close the arrow wound in his side as his ring slowly healed his remaining minor injuries. Painfully Jeral struggled to his feet and slowly surveyed the room and the carnage that surrounded him. All six slavers were down and Anomen was healing the few minor wounds that Minsc had received during the fight. Shaking his head in frustration Jeral slowly removed his ruined chain mail tunic and tossed it to the floor as Nalia picked up the ledger near Jeral's feet.

Yoshimo searched the corpses thoroughly and handed Jeral a key and a heavy coin purse.

"This key must open the slaver cells in the complex."

Jeral nodded and opened the coin purse. It was full of dozens of well cut diamonds, emeralds and rubies.

"Someone was very well paid."

"There is always profit in the selling of flesh Jeral; it is a sad fact of life."

"Yoshimo speaks the truth Jeral. Even in the under dark slaves could command a large amount of coin, particularly if they had special skills."

Jeral nodded absently and pocketed the pouch of gems. He looked up as Yoshimo handed Jeral a set of clearly enchanted - and blood soaked - studded leather armor that had belonged to one of the unfortunate slavers.

"This should fit you, Jeral. You still cannot cast spells while wearing it but it should help keep you upright until you can get proper chain armor."

Nodding his thanks to Yoshimo Jeral slipped on the new armor and marveled at how light and flexible it was.

 _Still not as good as some enchanted chain mail but I will work with what I have._

Nalia paged through the blood drenched ledger excitedly.

"By Tymora's dice. This book documents every transaction in the past four seasons. They have sold thousands of people throughout Athkatla."

"Does it tell you the names of the leaders of the slavers in the city?"

"It does not Jeral. They have written in code so there are no recognizable names in evidence. From what I can tell paging through this book this is the distribution center for the slavers. They smuggle in slaves through the docks and the city gates and bring them here until they are delivered to their new masters."

"Well keep that book close Nalia, it might come in handy at some point." Nalia nodded and slid the heavy tome into her scroll case.

A pair of doors allowed exit from the room. The closest door was very large and heavily barred. Snarling and growling sounds carried through the wall. Whatever was on the other side of the door was clearly hostile. The group was ready to bypass the door entirely when a child's scream pierced the air. The terror was palpable in the child's piercing cries. Jeral tried the newly discovered key in the lock for the door and it clicked as the lock slid back. Minsc easily lifted the heavy bar off the door and hurled it across the room. Anomen quickly pulled the door open and Minsc charged inside with Jeral close on his heels.

A pair of trolls stood in the room standing over a pile of corpses. A small girl of six or seven cowered in the corner. Jeral looked at the tangle of corpses and realized with a shock that they were a pile of children. All of the small bodies were missing limbs or large chunks of flesh where the trolls had feasted on them. Minsc roared in fury and charged the left hand troll while Jeral threw himself at the right hand beast. Jeral ducked under a massive troll arm and slashed his blades against the creature's leathery hide. Jeral watched with satisfaction as his blades cut deeply, exposing bone on the creature's side. The troll turned to face Jeral as the bard backpedaled away from the beast, his eyes drawn to the rapidly closing wounds.

Before the troll could strike at Jeral again Anomen struck fiercely at the creature's back and the Flail of Ages tore huge chunks of flesh from the ice, fire, and acid flail heads. The troll roared in pain and rage as it turned to face the greater threat. As it pivoted to face the plate clad Helmite a sling bullet struck it in the neck and a flame arrow struck it in the chest. Jeral seized the opportunity and stabbed the Blade of Roses into the troll's unprotected back. The blade slid into the troll easily and Jeral drove it in to the hilt. The beast spasmed in pain and roared until a final strike from Anomen put the beast down for good.

Jeral withdrew his blade from the corpse and turned to look at the other troll. Nothing remained of the beats but a pile of smoldering flesh on the ground. Minsc and Nalia had easily dispatched the beast. Nalia's trio of flame arrows ensured that the creature would not arise again. Once it was clear both troll were destroyed Nalia and Anomen raced to check on the little girl. Clad only in rags she was crying hysterically as she looked at the carnage around her. Nalia smoothed the girl's hair back as Anomen checked her for wounds. Held in Nalia's arms the girl quickly calmed down and rubbed a soiled arm across her face to wipe away her tears.

"Other than some small scratches and bruises she is unharmed, thank Helm."

"Lucky for her the trolls were full from eating the other children."

"Mind your tongue Viconia, the poor child does not need what passes for wit amongst the drow to add to her worries." Anomen glared up at Viconia as he spat out the words.

"It is fine good sir. After watching the trolls eat my friends and watching slavers kill my parents a little sarcasm does not bother me. I thank you for saving my life."

Everyone turned to stare at the little girl who looked Anomen in the eye as she spoke in a high but clear voice.

Anomen gently patted the girl on the shoulder as he spoke in a low soft voice. "My child you are safe now. Are there any other children in the complex?"

"I think so. There are large cells down the hall that hold the children. They brought us few in here," she fought back a sob as she looked at the mangled bodies of the other children around her, "as food for the trolls. I can show you the way."

Under the child's direction Yoshimo led the way with Minsc and Anomen flanking the child in a wall of armor. They walked back through the store room and then opened the other door. They walked down a long hallway and stopped at a pair of doors, one on each side of the hallway.

"These are the holding cells for the children. Boys are on the left, girls on the right." The doors in question were heavy wooden doors banded in iron. A simple bar across the doors kept them closed.

Yoshimo cautiously walked a few yards down the hallway and warily watched the passageway with an arrow nocked to his short bow. Minsc lifted the bar off the left hand door while Anomen did the same on the right. Both opened the doors and recoiled at the smell of dozens of unwashed bodies held in primitive conditions. The children recoiled in fear until Minsc held out Boo to the cowering group of boys. Once they realized Minsc was not a slaver they crowded around him with tears streaming down their dirty faces. Minsc picked up the smallest boy in his left arm as he smiled down at the children.

"Minsc and Boo are here to rescue the little children and deliver the boot of justice to the slavers!"

The little boys burst out into spontaneous cheers at the words of their rescuer. When the girls across the hall heard their joyous cries they too raised their voices in delight at their rescue. Beaming, Anomen formally bowed and introduced himself to the roughly score of little girls arrayed around him.

"By Helm I promise you ladies are safe under our protection."

"What are you lot d…..?"

The slaver's question was cut short as Yoshimo's arrow tore into his chest. As his lifeless body dropped to the floor his spear loudly clattered to the ground. Yoshimo knocked another arrow and started backing up slowly.

"I believe the other slavers in this complex now know we are here. We must prepare to fight or flee quickly."

Yoshimo's bowstring thrummed as a second arrow struck a slaver guard in the chest. Jeral looked down the hallway and saw over a dozen armed guards clad in studded leather armor moving down the corridor. Jeral also spied a man in black and silver mage robes at the back of the group.

"Time to go everyone! Anomen and Minsc, get the children out of here and back to the tavern. We will hold them off to allow you time to escape."

"Yoshimo get back here behind me!" Yoshimo quickly slid behind Jeral and resumed firing arrows down the hallway. Nalia quickly joined him and she sent two arrows down the hallway for each one fired by the bounty hunter.

Jeral drew his blades and prepared to face the onslaught of guards. He called on his blood to and felt the familiar flush of power as his strength and speed both increased. The slaver guards moved slowly down the hallway. After taking a number of casualties from the archers the guards employed a new strategy. Two guards entered the hallway protected by large tower shields. Crouching down behind the shields the pair slowly worked down the hallway trailed by almost a score of other guards. Half a dozen arrows soon quivered in the wood of the shields but Jeral realized that they would soon reach him.

Suddenly the sounds of battle disappeared and Jeral watched amazed as the guards continued to approach, just now in absolute silence.

A dark skinned hand clapped Jeral on the shoulder.

"That will ensure that foolish mage cannot hurt us male. I suggest we flee before they can overwhelm us with numbers."

"Viconia is right Jeral we have to flee. But we must slow their pursuit else they will run us down in the sewers. Minsc and Anomen will be moving slowly with all of the children."

Wracking his brain Jeral looked around and realized that the entire slaver compound was made of wood. Floor, walls and ceiling all built with heavily polished wooden planks tightly joined together, almost like the insides of a ship. Jeral knew of only one landlocked ship anywhere in Baldur's Gate, the odd looking building next to Gaelan Bayle's home. Smiling he looked back at Nalia and Yoshimo.

"Let's burn this place to the ground, time for some fire arrows. The fire should not endanger any of the neighboring buildings for they are all built at a distance from this ship. Besides, it rained last night so the fire should not spread. Think you two can help?"

Nalia and Yoshimo started firing arrows of fire into the walls and ceiling to each side of the lead guards. The fire from the arrows quickly spread, feeding on the heavy coat of varnish that coated the wood throughout the complex. The hallway quickly became a tunnel of flame. Choking on the smoke Jeral and the others slowly backed away from the fire as it rapidly spread around the hallway. The guards looked around at the rapidly spreading flames and started to fall back, save the two lead guards who moved forward to escape the flames. They feared Jeral and the others less than they feared burning to death.

Jeral held his blades out in a low guard position as he readied to face the pair of charging guardsmen. Looking back over his shoulders he shouted at Viconia, Nalia and Yoshimo.

"Get out of here; go help Minsc and Anomen protect the children. I will be along after I take care of these two."

"Jeral, I will stay with you!"

"Yoshimo, I said go!"

"I have to protect you! I cannot leave."

Jeral charged into the right tower shield and drove the man back a step. He stabbed out with his short sword at the man on the left before he could react and smiled as it slid in deep. He twisted the blade to maximize the damage and pulled it out from the body as the slaver guard dropped to the floor. The remaining guard lashed out with his blade but Jeral easily parried the strike. He stepped to the side and lashed out at the guard's shield arm. The Blade of Roses easily sliced through gauntlet, flesh and bone. Jeral stepped back with a sneer as he watched the second guard fall to his knees clutching his severed limb. Jeral planted a boot in the man's chest and kicked out savagely. The maimed guard tumbled back into the inferno and screamed hideously as he was burned alive.

Jeral turned and raised his blood stained blades in front of Yoshimo's face.

Flush with rage from his combat with the pair of guards Jeral roared at Yoshimo. "I am somewhat fond of you bounty hunter but you are starting to sound like an old woman. I command and you obey! Else you travel with me no further. Is that clear?"

Yoshimo's eyes glinted before he lowered his head and nodded slightly. "Yoshimo will travel with Jeral and aid him in seeing his sister once again."

Jeral exhaled deeply and sheathed his blades feeling the rage wash out of his body. Clapping Yoshimo fondly on the shoulder he smiled as he spoke, "Let us get out of here before we get burned to death." Jeral raced towards the trapdoor closely trailed by Yoshimo. He jumped down into the sewer and Yoshimo trailed him by a few steps. Yoshimo paused to close and latch the trap door before he hopped off the ladder. He and Jeral slowly retraced their steps through the sewers. They paused periodically to listen quietly to ensure there was no pursuit from the slavers.

By the time the two reached the Copper Coronet there was a huge reunion and celebration underway as parents were reunited with missing children. The kitchen was working overtime as platters of fresh bread and roasted meats were visible everywhere. A few children stood alone to the side, their parents clearly not among the survivors. Anomen and Viconia tended to the wounds of a few of the children while Minsc and Nalia were chatting animatedly with some of the older children and their parents.

Jeral approached Hendak behind the bar and received his heartfelt thanks as the gladiator wrapped Jeral in an ale soaked bear hug.

"You and your friends have done us a great service Jeral. You will always be welcome at the Copper Coronet. What happened to the nice set of chain mail I had made for you?"

"Little matter of an axe to the chest ruined the armor."

Hendak laughed heartily and clapped Jeral on the shoulder. "Fortunately it did not cause any lasting harm to you."

"Well traveling with a couple of powerful clerics can keep one alive good Hendak."

"When you have time I would consider it an honor to spar with you Jeral. I may be able to teach you a few things about fighting with two blades."

"It would be my honor good Hendak. By the way I have something for you that may help care for the children."

Jeral smiled and handed Hendak the coin purse full of precious stones that Yoshimo took from the slavers.

"Please ensure that the orphaned children receive excellent care."

Nodding his thanks Hendak took the gems as he fought back tears.

"I will ensure you that we will care for the children, for all of the freed slaves with these riches. You and your friends are too kind. They orphans will be raised here as an extended family. With help from the priests of Ilmater we will see to their education and ensure they all learn trades and gain apprenticeships later in life."

Smiling Jeral broke free from the crush of people and headed upstairs to get a badly needed bath and some well deserved rest. On his way to the stairs Yoshimo gently grabbed Jeral's shoulder.

"Time to spar, good Jeral."

Jeral lowered his head and shook it tiredly.

"Yoshimo, it was a long day, I had an axe split me wide open, and all I want to do it go to bed."

"You said practice begins this evening. I will keep it short."

Grumbling Jeral followed Yoshimo back into the now closed fighting pits of the Copper Coronet. Yoshimo rummaged around in the weapon racks and pulled out two blunted long swords.

"These training swords should prevent us from getting hurt too badly." Yoshimo tossed one to Jeral and then assumed a dueling position.

"Sure you can manage without your katana?"

"I will be fine; I am capable with a katana, long sword, dagger, and short bow. With a katana you have no chance against me. As it stands you have improved your odds to almost no chance."

"Okay Yoshimo, you talk big old man, let's see what you can do."

Jeral twirled the sword around to get a feel for it and then launched into the attack. Yoshimo deftly parried every strike while moving side to side. Jeral continued to press the attack to no affect. After a few minutes Yoshimo became the aggressor and Jeral was forced to backpedal to avoid the bounty hunter's precise, quick lunges.

 _He is not as strong as I am, has a shorter reach and is no faster than I am. So why am I not winning?_

Jeral could find no good answer as the two continued to spar. The two continued dueling until Yoshimo finally broke off the fight.

Breathing heavily Yoshimo spoke between breaths.

"You may not yet fight with skill Jeral but your endurance is impressive. With your strength and speed you will be quite the swordsman with practice."

The two returned their weapons to the sparring racks and trudged off to bath and then head to their respective beds.

The next day the party reassembled for a late breakfast. Jeral joined the others in clean clothes, still wet from his morning bath since he still felt dirty after bathing the night before. Yoshimo, Anomen and Nalia had identified all the new found equipment and sold anything they did not need. The six gathered around the table and looked down on the new blade that Minsc had discovered in the sewers. Minsc's new sword was laid out on the table.

"Let me get this straight Nalia. The sword is named Licaror and it can talk?" Jeral asked.

"You are correct Jeral; the sword has the spirit of its first owner inside of it. Evidently he was a young noble named Licaror."

"That's right baby, Licaror is my name, chopping is my game."

"Minsc likes sword better than evil sword but sword must learn to be quiet or Minsc will be angry."

"Screw you and your little rat too!" the sword cackled. Everyone at the table leaned back in their chair. They all know better than to call Boo a rat in front of Minsc. Surprising everyone Minsc calmly stood up, picked up Licaror and walked outside. After a few minutes he returned without the sword. Smiling Misc sat down.

"Boo is very smart. He told me to drop the sword in the privy and let it sit there for a while. Minsc wants to keep sword to kick butts of evil but sword must learn when to be quiet."

The thought of a talking sword down a privy hole was too much to bear and everyone broke out laughing. The group spent the rest of the day feasting, relaxing and replenishing supplies. That night Jeral requested another training session with Yoshimo, this time he managed to get inside Yoshimo's guard and land a few blows.

At the end of the session Yoshimo nodded in satisfaction, "I see some signs of progress Jeral. After a few more sessions I will be no match for you."

Jeral went to bed tired, sore and with hope for the future.


	8. Sisters and sorrow

_For fans of a certain Helmite fighter/cleric this chapter is for you. In the game I always want Anomen in the group so I adjust his actions depending if I am playing a good or evil party._

Chapter 8: Sisters and sorrow

The next morning the Copper Coronet was once again open for business and the place was teeming with activity. Many of the newly released children were still living in the tavern and they scurried about adding some badly needed cheer to the room. Freshly scrubbed, well fed and dress in clean clothes they already looked as if they were putting the trauma of captivity behind them. The tavern, indeed the entire city, was abuzz with the news that the slavers secret base had been burned to the ground. Large crowds had flocked to the slums to look at the ashes of the building and delight in the slaver's loss of power and influence.

The party was in a cheerful mood as they discussed next steps over a breakfast of bread, sausage and cheese. Yoshimo had heard mention that parties in the Umar Hills and Trademeet had each placed calls for adventurers. Everyone agreed that they needed to move forward but for the morning everyone wanted to avoid taking the next step. It was just a time to relax and unwind, everyone was badly in need of some rest, distraction and good cheer. Anomen regaled Nalia with tales of his sister while Minsc looked at his newly cleaned sword. Evidently Licaror was promising to be well behaved in the future. Yoshimo quietly oiled his katana as he leaned back in his chair. Viconia sat at the table sitting with her eyes closed. In her hand she held a smooth black disc with purple around the edges and she ran her thumb across its smooth surface.

Jeral's eyes kept looking across the table to gaze upon Viconia. The distance between them gnawed at him. He wanted nothing more than to take the dark woman into his arms and hold her close. But without her permission he knew that he would end up with broken fingers and worse. Despite his diving healing abilities his fingers still occasionally hurt from where she broke them back at the Friendly Arm Inn. Viconia opened her eyes and gazed back at Jeral. "I thought it was considered impolite to stare." Jeral blushed and hastily averted his eyes.

Before Jeral could form a reply an all too familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Coo. I think I be looking at a dead man and his foolish friends."

Minsc and Anomen leapt to their feet and held their weapons at the ready as they glared at Gaelan Bayle. Jeral looked up at the flustered looking thief as he stood breathless staring at the group. Gaelan was dressed as colorfully as always wearing a bright purple shirt with his ever present bright blue sash and tight black pants. His left hand fidgeted with the hilt of his long sword as he eyed Jeral. His entire body radiated tension as he struggled to affect a calm demeanor in front of the group.

"Good morning Gaelan, I trust you are not threatening us? Not when we are working to diligently to raise a significant amount of coin for your masters and when you are standing in front of us all alone."

Jeral spoke quietly but his words held a clear undercurrent of malice.

Gaelan quickly eyed Minsc and Anomen, licked his lips and slowly moved his hand away from his sword hilt. Once clear of the weapon he held his hands out to the sides, palms open to show he was not a threat.

"My apologies for my poor choice of words Jeral. I am not in any way a threat to you and your friends here. But I do bring news, and I fear it may be ill tidings."

Minsc and Anomen both sat back down although Anomen continued to glare at the thief.

"Please sit and join us for breakfast then. The blood sausage is excellent."

"Ah, no offense intended Jeral but I do not want to be seen with you any more than absolutely necessary. You are a man marked for death and I do not want to be caught up in any violence that finds you."

"Your words are wind little man. We all know Jeral has many enemies and it has been that way since he left Candlekeep. He keeps no secrets from us."

Gaelan nervously eyed Viconia and then his gaze returned to Jeral.

"Well the dark one may be right but you have still made yourself a new enemy, a powerful one."

Jeral looked bored and took another bite of his breakfast before he replied.

"Gaelan, I tire of your meandering. Just tell us what you came to tell us and be done with it."

"The slavers have marked you for death Jeral. They know it was you who burned down their base in the city last night."

Jeral shrugged his shoulders as he continued to eat his breakfast.

"I am not here to make friends. I am here to raise funds to rescue my sister."

"Aye, but understand that this may make that more difficult. The slavers have offered a huge bounty for you, Hendak and all the others. They pledge to kill or enslave everyone in the Copper Coronet."

"Should I be worried about the allegiance of your employer?"

"No. He has need of you and nothing will change that. I know not why but you do not have an enemy in us."

Anomen snorted, "How can we take the word of a thief?"

Gaelan returned the Helmite's stare with an equally fierce one of his own.

"I do not expect any of you to trust me but know that our interests align, and as long as they do we are allies of a sort. Know that they know all of your names and have marked all of you for death. All save one."

The last comment caused Jeral to put his fork down and eye the short thief attentively.

"Who?"

"The Lady Nalia de'Arnise. The bounty notice says that she is to come to no harm. It provides a detailed description of her down to the color of her mage robes. The rest of you are to die but she is to live the bounty notice was quite insistent on that last bit."

Five heads turned to gaze at the young freckled face mage. Her face reddened as she looked around helplessly.

"Is there anything you would like to tell us Nalia?"

"Jeral, I swear on my father's grave that I have nothing to do with the slavers. I have no idea why they would want to spare my life. "

"She speaks the truth Jeral. I can tell when you surfacers attempt to lie, and this one speaks the truth. It is likely that the slavers are reluctant to kill one of the noble class for that would bring undue attention to their activities."

Gaelan nodded at Viconia's comment.

"The drow speaks true Jeral. The slavers can kill the rest of you lot without any public uproar. Even the Squire would not be missed over much. Adventurers come and go around a place like this without too much fuss."

"Very well Gaelan, thank you for the information. We will stop by soon with additional funds."

"I will be waiting. Good day to you all." With a slight bow Gaelan turned and quickly strode from the tavern. The group sat in subdued silence as they all digested the news. Breakfast lay forgotten on the table. Jeral's good mood was forgotten and he sat quietly brooding over Viconia and worrying about Imoen.

A short time later a man in a faded servant's livery entered the Coronet and rapidly approached the table.

Yoshimo nudged Jeral with his leg under the table and slightly inclined his head.

"Someone else approaches."

Jeral quietly watched the man approach. He was middle aged painfully thin and his close cropped hair was more grey than black. He was attired in servant's livery although his uniform was threadbare and badly in need of a cleaning. He approached the table reluctantly and cleared his throat.

"Ahem, beg pardon sire. Anomen Delryn, son of the Lord Cor Delryn, I bring news."

Anomen stood and faced the servant, the smile left his face as he gazed at the servant for his face clearly indicated that he bore ill tidings.

"Teril, no need for such formality with me, what brings you here? It has been far too long."

"Dire news I am afraid sire. You must come home immediately."

"What is wrong?"

"Sire, you need to return home, your father will explain. I should not speak out of turn for it is not my place."

The Helmite grabbed the smaller man by his jacket and started to shake him. The servant let out a pitiful squeak as he made no move to pull away.

"Damn you Teril, what is wrong?"

Anomen's face was turning red with rage. The rest of the party could only watch the drama unfold in silence.

"Your sister, sire, it concerns your sister."

"What about Moria Teril? Tell me. I must know. Is she sick? Has she been harmed? I can pray to Helm for many cures, I am sure I can help her."

Teril shook his head slightly and looked down at the ground.

"You cannae help sire for she is dead. It pains me to even say the words but she is dead. The Lady Moria is dead. You must come home, please come home at once. Lord Cor will tell you the rest. I cannot say any more. I have already overstepped my bounds and your father will be cross with me."

Anomen released his grip on Teril and leaned back heavily on the table scattering dishes and mugs as he did so. All the color drained from his face. He slowly turned to Jeral.

"I must leave you for a time. I must return home to attend to my sister Jeral."

"Would you like some company?"

Anomen nodded slightly. "That would be welcome."

"Very well, then we will go with you."

Anomen nodded his thanks and followed Teril out of the Coronet. Jeral and the others hastily wolfed down a few last bites of their food and then raced out of the tavern after Anomen.

The Delryn estate was located in the Government District a few blocks off the main plaza. It was a large estate but it was badly in need of maintenance and repair. The grey slate roof was missing dozens of tiles and a couple shutters hung at odd angles of broken hinges. The entire home needed a coat of paint and a good cleaning. It looked shabby next to the well maintained estates to either side of it. Unlike the estates nearby there were no guards visible in front of the house.

Yoshimo leaned in close and whispered to Jeral, "Clearly the Delryn family has fallen on hard times."

Jeral nodded absently at the bounty hunter's words, "It certainly looks that way Yoshimo."

Anomen led the way inside past the shabbily attired doorman. The party entered the home and the inside of the house matched the exterior. High quality carpets and tapestries lay soiled and uncleaned. Discolored rectangles on the walls indicated where paintings had been removed and probably sold. The furnishings were a haphazard mix of valuable pieces and low quality fare. The sounds of heavy coughing drew Anomen to the sitting room off the entry foyer. Anomen strode into the room and the group quietly trailed a few steps behind the distraught Squire.

"Ahhhhhhh, the prodigal son returns. Have a drink with me boy."

"Thank you but no father, the sun is barely over the walls to the city."

"Spare me your pieties boy, I am in mourning and may drink whenever I wish."

Jeral noted that Lord Cor looked much like Anomen, just a shrunken, bitter, older version of Anomen. He still had a full head of hair although it was grey and his beard was straggly and unkempt. He wore a matching outfit of dark grey velvet that was soiled and showed signs of heavy wear. He held a crystal goblet of wine in an unsteady hand as he drunkenly ranted on about how Moria had been killed days earlier in the house and that she had already been cremated.

"Why was I not told about Moria earlier?" Anomen snapped.

"Watch your tone with me boy. I will brook no disrespect in my own home!"

Chastened Anomen reddened and mumbled a half hearted apology under is breath.

"You are not an easy man to track down boy. I sent a runner to the Order but those fools did not know where you were. That is over and done with now. Her ashes are on the shrine with your mother's. Pay your respects and then come back to me and I will give you the full tale of what happened." He dismissed Anomen with a wave and downed his goblet in a loud smacking of lips.

Anomen headed to the shrine and knelt down. He prayed and wept over his dear sister's ashes.

 _Moria, I am sorry I was not here more for you. Know that I am well and have met some people that adventure at my side in the service of Helm. I have also met a girl that I like, a girl a lot like you. Her name is Lady Nalia de'Arnise and I had hoped to introduce her to you some day._

Jeral and the others waited with Lord Cor in his library. He sat in a comfortable chair and drank steadily from a bottle of strong spirits. He made no effort to provide for his guests or engage in conversation.

Anomen returned to the study, his eyes were red and his voice wavered when he spoke.

"What happened father? How did my sister die?"

"She was cut down in our own home, in the kitchen. Someone came into my home and slit her throat from ear to ear. It is an outrage, I consider it a personal insult."

"Where were the guards?"

"There have been financial setbacks, certain business ventures have not worked out. It is all very complicated and I will not bore you with the details. Just know that cuts were required. I cut back on the staff, there are no more guards for there is no coin to pay them."

"But I see you have plenty for the expensive wines you drink by the barrel!"

Anomen's father lurched to his feet and roared at his son.

"Watch your tone boy! I will not brook any disrespect from you. It is bad enough you shamed me and your mother by turning your back on the family and running off to hide in the church."

Anomen's face reddened as he started to open his mouth and bellow back at his father. Nalia slid up next to Anomen and laced her fingers in his left hand. He looked down at his hand and then looked at the young mage. She just smiled and squeezed his hand. Anomen took a deep calming breath and asked for Helm to give him the strength to remain calm. In a lower voice he replied to his father.

"So my Lord, who killed her? Who killed Moria?"

Lord Cor sat back down heavily and drained another goblet of wine.

"You finally ask the right question. But isn't the answer obvious? All of the financial setbacks, all of the poor business decisions, all of the customers who have abandoned me, it all was a plot against me. It was that bastard Sarek, well more likely some cut throat in his employ for I cannot imagine that ponce getting his hands dirty. You know Sarek Farhaad is out to ruin me. He is out to destroy our family business, has been for years."

"But why Moria father? This makes no sense. Why strike down Moria? Where is the business gain in that?"

Anomen's father threw his goblet against the wall and it shattered in a thousand pieces leaving a red stain on the wall that reminded Jeral far too much of blood. He raised a shaking arm and pointed it accusingly at Anomen.

"Damn you boy! Enough with the babbling and the questions. This is a time for action and not words. Listen to me for once in your worthless life. Sarek ruined me. He ruined me and he killed your sister. He must die, this I command. These ruffians with you should do just fine, they look like heartless killers. I suspect there is wealth for all of us in the Farhaad Estate. We can have my revenge and restore my fortunes in one fell swoop."

Lord Cor gleefully rubbed his hands together as he spoke of his restored fortunes.

Wordlessly Anomen pulled his hand away from Nalia, turned on his heel, and stormed out of the estate. Jeral and the others quickly raced after him. Jeral jogged up to stand next to Anomen as he rapidly strode through he Government District.

"Anomen, where are we going?"

"The Council building, they must have some information on Moria's death. The magistrate is an honest woman and she will speak clearly on this matter."

The magistrate was a tall woman who looked Anomen in the eye. She was clad in a suit of silvered chain mail atop a dark blue dress and carried a rapier on her right hip. Her hair was black and fell down to the middle of her back. She looked like an experienced warrior and someone not to be angered.

Anomen stormed into the Council building. It soon became clear that the authorities had investigated extensively but had found no proof of who killed Moria. They had no good suspects. Based on Lord Cor's accusations they had interviewed Sarek Farhaad and he claimed no knowledge of the crime.

Anomen reddened and left the Council building with Nalia chasing after him.

"Magistrate, is there no information on the murder? Anything that might indicate who killed this poor girl or why?" Jeral inquired.

"Very little. The killer entered a locked home without breaking in and knifed the poor girl in the kitchen. It is not clear if she was the target of if she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Could it have been Sarek Farhaad or someone in his employ?"

"Anything is possible, but I consider that unlikely. The enmity between him and Cor Delryn is well known, but Sarek has already won. Between poor business decisions and his conflict with Sarek Lord Cor is almost bankrupt. His wealth is gone and his reputation is in tatters. So why stoop to murder? It does not seem likely. Please do know that if Anomen does anything rash he will be arrested. Regardless of his motives he may not harm a member of the nobility."

"Nor," she added looking at Jeral and the others, "may anyone else act on his behalf. Should anything accidentally happen to Sarek I will consider all of you the likely suspects."

Nodding his thanks Jeral left the building in pursuit of Anomen followed by Viconia, Minsc and Yoshimo. The quartet spent the remainder of the day questioning people around the Delryn estate. Finding no new information they headed back to the Copper Coronet with the setting sun. During dinner Anomen drank heavily and said little. After dinner he only drank faster.

"What God allows foul ones such as my father and Sarek to live while fair creatures such as Moira are cut down? By Helm I will have my revenge!"

Anomen's fist crashed down on the table sending mugs and plates flying. The patrons at the neighboring tables gazed curiously at the scene unfolding in front of them and a hush fell over the common room. Anomen abruptly pushed back from the table and stood up before he unsteadily weaved his way upstairs.

Jeral leaned across the table and grasped Nalia's forearm tightly.

"Nalia, you and Minsc must ensure he does not hurt himself or leave the tavern this evening. Do whatever you have to do but keep him here."

Nalia nodded grimly as she stood up from the table.

"Very well Jeral. But why me?"

"Anomen should listen to you Nalia if he will listen to any of us. You may not realized it but he is smitten with you. Should he not fall for your charm then Minsc can knock him out if he does not listen to reason. Viconia, Yoshimo and I are going to go run some errands and see if we can find some more answers."

"Very well Jeral, I will do all I can for Squire Anomen. He deserves no less from me."

"Thank you Nalia. Can I ask one more boon of you?"

"What else could you possibly need me to do Jeral? I am sure I will not have time for anything else beyond ensuring Squire Anomen does not do anything foolish."

"May I carry your magic license for the evening?"

"Jeral, as I told you previously my magic license is on file at the Council Building, my father purchased it for me when I was just a little girl. Thanks to him I am a properly licensed wizard authorized to use limited magic within the city. As one of my hirelings the rights on my license do cover your activities as well. The Cowled Wizards should know that, so you should not be bothered if you use limited spells within the city. I must go, Anomen needs me."

Blushing, Nalia nodded farewell and quickly rose from the tables to head upstairs. Carrying a plate piled high with food Minsc departed from the table and headed after Nalia.

Jeral began to make plans with Viconia and Yoshimo. After chatting for a time the three headed upstairs and returned wearing their darkest clothes. Viconia and Yoshimo wore their armor, although Viconia left her small shield and helm in her room. Jeral left his armor in his room in case he had a need for spell casting. Suitably attired the three headed out into the night.

At such a late hour the Bridge District was almost deserted. The bloody guild war ensured that few dared venture out past dark unless absolutely necessary. Even the prostitutes, everyday ruffians and bounty hunters huddled inside for safety. The target for the evening was immediately visible once they arrived in the district. The Farhaad estate was huge and was almost as wide as the great bridge that was the Bridge District's namesake. Local gossip told that the Farhaad family descended from corsairs. The first Lord Farhaad was a pirate captain centuries ago who struck it rich and decided to abandon his life on the sea and become a legitimate merchant. With sufficient wealth he bought his way into the nobility but he established the family home in the Bridge District to ensure they never forgot their seafaring roots. The current Lord Farhaad had a reputation as an aggressive businessman who would stop at nothing to close a deal.

The mansion was opulent and three stories tall. Ornate carvings of mermaids and other fanciful sea creatures adorned every exposed surface. Large double doors were flanked by four guards while a small staircase on the side of the building led to a second door on the top floor of the estate. The side stairwell was guarded by a pair of armed guards lounging in the alley. The entire estate was illuminated by ornate silver lanterns that dotted the exterior of the building.

"No killing unless absolutely necessary." Jeral hissed.

"I still fail to see the dilemma, if the killer eludes justice then kill him and all who stand with him and be done with it. One must kill all who attempt to slight family honor."

"We do not know he is guilty Viconia, I just want to talk to Sarek. No one dies unless it is unavoidable. I am not sure I trust Anomen's father."

"Very well _Jaluk,_ if you insist."

A quick spell from Viconia and the two guards in the alley were frozen in place. Yoshimo and Jeral dragged them off to the shadows and left them securely bound and gagged but very much alive. Jeral cast a spell of invisibility on Yoshimo and waited for the inevitable Coweled Wizards to teleport in and arrest him. After determining that no arrest was forthcoming Jeral allowed himself to exhale. Unseen Yoshimo slowly worked his way up the long staircase checking for traps as he went. It was slow going but he made it to the top safely. A shrill whistle was the signal that Yoshimo had reached the top of the staircase. Viconia chanted a quick prayer and a cloud of inky blackness descended on Jeral and the drow cleric. Viconia grasped Jeral's hand and quickly led him up the stairs. Jeral's heart leapt at the simple contact and realized he was clearly taken with the Sharran.

Yoshimo picked the lock, dispelling his invisibility, and silently slid the door open after checking it for traps. Jeral slipped inside, followed by Viconia and Yoshimo. Jeral was amazed how quietly Viconia could move. Her drow heritage and great dexterity combined to make her very stealthy despite the enchanted chain mail armor she wore. She was as quiet as Yoshimo. Jeral could not quite match the other two for silent movement but his lack of armor ensured he did not make too much noise. The three quietly moved through the upper floor of the estate. The third floor was obviously the living chambers of Lord Sarek and his family. Plush carpets and elegant tapestries lined every wall and floor. Enchanted torches provide a dim smokeless light in the hallways. The trio easily avoided an inattentive roving patrol and soon found Sarek's bedchambers. Yoshimo checked the door for traps, unlocked it and silently slipped inside closely trailed by Viconia and Jeral. Sarek Farhaad was snoring loudly as the party approached. He was a large man with dark hair and an even darker beard. Yoshimo watched the door while Viconia and Jeral approached the bed.

Sarek Farhaad was having the most unusual dream. Instead of the usual dream of three or four nubile young wenches Sarek had a vivid dream of only one woman, a dark skinned beauty who pleasured him as no woman ever had. He moaned in delight and arched his back in ecstasy. The touch of cold metal snapped him out of the dream and made Sarek open his eyes wide. He looked up into the face from his dream. Smiling Sarek reached for the dark apparition. The touch of a dagger on his throat stopped him in his tracks.

Jeral leaned forward and whispered in his ear.

"Shhhhhhhhhh. Be a good boy. No sudden loud noises or movements. Lie still, we only want to talk. We will not hurt you unless you make that necessary."

"Are you here to kill me?"

Whatever else one could say about the man he had courage. He looked Jeral in the eye determined to meet his fate with dignity. His voice was quiet and clear with no sign of fear at all.

"If we wanted to kill you Lord Farhaad, well you would already be dead."

Sarek nodded in comprehension and slowly slid back on his bed.

"What do you know about the murder of Moria Delryn?"

His eyes flashed as he hissed a reply, "Nothing! Save I am disappointed that it was Moria and not Cor!"

"You are known to be business rivals. Killing the daughter could be a continuation of that business feud."

"BAH! You are an imbecile and clearly do not understand business. If you wish to kill me go ahead, for I will never cower to mere brigands. But know this first. I already had my revenge of that drunkard. I have taken his clients away and ruined his business. Watching him live in shame and poverty, while I revel in wealth and success is the best revenge of all. Besides, Moira seemed like a nice enough girl. I do not blame children for the sins of their parents. I have my own daughter so I truly mourn Moria's passing. To protect my own children from potential reprisals I have always viewed families as off limits."

 _Kill him! Kill him now!_

The voice in Jeral's head raged as he fought against its dark influence. Shaking his head he pushed the voice from his head. Slowly, Jeral withdrew his dagger from Sarek's throat. He eyed Viconia and she inclined her head very slightly. It was clear that she believed that Sarek spoke the truth.

"I believe you Lord Farhaad. However, if I find out you lied to me I will be back, and next time you will wake up to more pain than you can ever imagine. But I digress. I apologize for this intrusion. We will be on our way. By the way, you have two guards tied up in the alley who will require assistance. And you might want to think about getting better security. These are dangerous times in the city."

"What makes you think I will let you leave thief? You have broken into my home, attacked my guards and threatened me with death. One shout will bring the guards down on your heads."

"Lord Farhaad, we have left many traps and other deadly items in your home. Once we are safely away I will have a letter delivered to you via messenger detailing where they all are. If we are not safely away then something terrible could happen to you or a loved one."

Jeral nodded once, winked, and the three silently slipped from the room. They were not noticed and were soon back at the Copper Coronet.

They had a late drink in a nearly deserted tavern to wind down after their night out.

"Jeral, I did not see you send a letter to Sarek. What about the traps?"

"Bounty Hunter you are as thick as this one. There were no traps Yoshimo. Jeral was bluffing. By the standards of the drow he is inept at the art of deception, but apparently he is quite effective at dishonesty by the admittedly low surfacer standards."

Yoshimo chuckled in amusement.

"Jeral I think a visit to the thieves' guild is in order soon. They may have work for us and it pains me to say it but I need to pay them a visit before they lose patience with my freelance activities."

"Good idea Yoshimo. We still have need of additional coin."

With that the three retired to their respective beds.

The following morning the party met for a late breakfast. Anomen and Nalia were the last to arrive at the table. Anomen looked shame faced as he approached the table.

"I wish to apologize for my actions yesterday. I have thought long and hard on this and prayed to Helm for guidance. I realize that I must have proof before I seek vengeance. I was wrong to lose my temper; I hope you can all forgive me. I, I sometimes struggle to remain on the righteous path."

"Consider it forgotten, I understand the pain of loss my friend. While I never met Moria I have suffered similar losses."

"As have I good squire." Nalia spoke those words slowly as she fought back the tears.

"Helmite, you and I may not often agree but know that we have all felt the sting of loss so we understand your pain. Whatever you decide to do about your sister know that I will be at your side." Anomen smiled weakly at Viconia and nodded his thanks.

Anomen smiled slightly and then sat down with the others. It did not escape Jeral's notice that Nalia and Anomen were seated very close together. He filed it away in his mind for future examination and resumed his meal.

"Anomen, if it makes you feel any better I believe that Sarek is innocent of any involvement in your sister's death."

"How could you possibly know that Jeral?"

"Don't ask my friend. Just know that I am quite sure that he did not kill or have your sister killed. I just know."


	9. Working for the shadow thieves

_Happy belated 2016! Holiday season got away from me so I apologize for the gap between chapters. I hope to get back to a chapter a week shortly._

 _All the best! JCL1371_

Chapter 9: Working for the shadow thieves

After breakfast in the common room of the Copper Coronet the party departed the Slums District in search of the Athkatla Thieves' Guild. According to Yoshimo the thieves' guild was located in the Docks District of the city. He led the way through the crowded streets as the others followed while keeping a wary eye out for any slavers out for revenge. The Docks District was comprised of many levels of terraced shops and homes that gradually descended to the docks and the sea. You could smell the district before you could see it. The smell of salty sea air and fish was ever present in the area. Jeral closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. The fresh sea air reminded him of standing on the walls of Candlekeep and gazing out at the ocean. He always loved the smell of the sea; it reminded him of home, of safety, of Gorion.

The view from the entrance to the district was spectacular. The massive stone blocks that made the terrace levels ensured that anyone entering the district could see the entirety of the district at a glance. The view then carried the eye to the dozens of ships tied up at the docks and beyond that to the entirety of the sea. Despite the hustle and bustle of the city in that moment everything was quiet as Jeral watched a handful of sea birds glide to and fro in the wind. Yoshimo quickly slid close to Jeral and spoke in a whisper.

"Ah Jeral, I should inform you that my past freelance activities may have drawn the ire of the guild here. They may not be thrilled to see me, they have this odd notion that they need to control all the creative activities within the city of coin. They frown on my independent bent."

Jeral snapped out of his reverie, shrugged his shoulders and patted the bounty hunter reassuringly on the back.

"Well I wish you could have told me earlier but no matter. I am sure it will be fine Yoshimo. I know how to deal with thieves' guilds. In fact elements within the guild at Baldur's Gate had a problem with Imoen and me a few months ago."

"I heard that a segment of that guild was decimated by an unknown assailant."

Jeral merely raised an eyebrow at that last comment. Yoshimo gazed at Jeral for long moments in silence before he finally nodded ever so slightly.

"Indeed. Well I may have underestimated you Jeral."

"I get that a lot Yoshimo, have ever since Imoen and I departed Candlekeep."

Yoshimo led the group to a large nondescript warehouse on the edge of the district. The building was two stories high. The first floor was made of stone while the second floor was made of thick wooden planks painted a dark shade of green. Nothing about the building made it seem anything other than a warehouse, one owned by a moderately successful merchant house. It looked much like any of the dozens of similar building scattered throughout the city. Yoshimo headed directly for the building and that told Jeral they had reached the Athkatla Thieves' Guild.

They approached the guild building and a pair of guards stepped out of a shadowy alcove by the door. The guards were larger than Anomen and each wore studded leather armor, steel bracers, and carried a short sword on their belt. Both men looked well trained and very comfortable with violence. They looked closely at the party, nodded at Yoshimo and wordlessly stepped to the side.

"Well I guess we can go in," Jeral mused.

The entrance chamber of the guild looked like a slightly chaotic general store. Dozens of dark clad men and women were looking through tables of equipment under the watchful gaze of a very attractive older woman. Clearly the proprietor of the store, she wore a set of well made - and very tight fitting - grey leathers. Throwing knives were tucked into special pockets on the upper thighs of her armor and a short stiletto hung from her right hip on a scarlet sword belt. Her grey hair was tied back in a severe bun on the top of her head. She moved with a grace that reminded Jeral of a dancer as she walked smoothly through the crowds. She turned her dark green eyes to take in the new arrivals and smiled broadly as she quickly strode towards Yoshimo and the others. Up close Jeral realized she was more than twice his age and stood a head shorter than he did. Despite her lack of stature she had a commanding presence that told Jeral she was no mere rank and file member of the guild.

"Greetings strangers. Welcome to my humble establishment. Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask. And if you wish for something you do not see please let me know for I enjoy handling special orders."

The group paused for a second as they absorbed the scene before them.

"Good morn my lady, we wish to see the leader of the guild."

The women looked at Jeral for a second with a shocked look on her face and then started to giggle as she placed a gentle hand on his forearm.

"Oh Jeral how delightfully impertinent of you. That is quite impossible. At this time the guild master does not wish to see you. However, I know for a fact that one of his more senior men would love a few words with you."

Jeral felt a flash of annoyance at the refusal of the guild leader to meet with him. Before he could formulate a reply Nalia stepped closer to the grey haired woman.

"How did you know his name?"

The woman smiled broadly, stepped away from Jeral, and looked at each member of the group in turn before her gaze returned to Nalia.

"My dear I know who each one of you is. Information is my stock in trade as much as any of these goods that you see behind me."

She walked up and stood in front of Nalia. She was shorter than the young mage and had to look up at her.

"You lass are the last of your name, the Lady Nalia de'Arnise. You are a mage of some skill who is properly registered with the Cowled Wizards as befitting someone of your upbringing. You are also pledged to marry the eldest of the Roenall sons, a lovely looking man named Isaea. Their family has recently inherited your ancestral home after the untimely death of your father."

"I am not marrying anyone! Least of all that bastard!"

"My dear calm yourself. I have no desire to marry you off so focus the anger where it belongs. Although I had yet to hear that you were anything less than an enthusiastic bride. I will have to remember that."

She looked to Nalia's side and looked up taking in Minsc in a slow lingering glance.

"My my my. You are even more imposing in person, how delicious. Here we have Minsc the mountain of a warrior from the north. The tales speak of your berserk skill in combat and your absolute loyalty to Jeral and his sister. I do so hope I can remain on your good side large one."

Minsc looked down quietly at the woman as he shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot under her gaze.

"The handsome one in the back is the Squire Anomen Delryn who has recently suffered a grievous loss and will soon face his test for acceptance as a Knight of the Order. You have my heartfelt condolences for your loss. I can assure you we had nothing to do with your sister's death."

Anomen scowled and snapped at the woman.

"Spare me your sympathies cur! Words from one such as you are less than worthless."

The woman shrugged her shoulders and impassively eyed the Squire.

"Believe what you wish Helmite. But know that the shadow thieves do not murder innocent girls. That was a low to which we would never stoop, at least not while the current man is master of this guild. Should we learn the identity of the killer we will certainly provide that information to you, and we will even do so free of charge."

Without waiting for a response she eyed Viconia and looked her up and down. A small smile crossed her face.

"You my dear are the one I find most fascinating of all. A renegade dark elf, banished from her land having forsaken the Spider Queen. I would enjoy some time learning more about you. The things I have heard about your people are so very …intriguing."

Viconia pulled the hood away from her face and looked down at the thief.

"I assure you that anyone who gets to spend time with me must consider themselves very fortunate indeed. Perhaps I will consider your request for you look more appealing than the average female."

The women just eyed each other with impassive faces for long moments before the grey haired thief broke eye contact and shook her head slowly. Smiling she eyed Jeral and looked him up and down critically.

"And here we have Jeral of Candlekeep, hero of Nashkel and Baldur's Gate and one of the infamous Bhaalspawn from the prophecies of Alundo. I thought you would look more like Minsc, or at least Anomen given the dark power that flows through your veins. But no matter, for looks are often deceiving."

Jeral nodded his head slightly in greeting.

"My lady you have us at a disadvantage. May we have your name?"

"Since you asked so nicely I will grant your request. You may call me Soreal."

"It is a pleasure to meet you my lady Soreal."

"Such manners Jeral, Gorion definitely raised you well."

"How do you know so much about us?"

Smirking Soreal ran her fingers over the top of her head and ensured that her hair was still tightly held in her top knot.

"Jeral while information is indeed my stock in trade in this case it is simple. Everyone knows the heroes of Baldur's Gate so you and Minsc are very well known. Anomen and Nalia are members of prominent families while Viconia is a drow who escaped a burning at the stake mere days ago. Yoshimo is well known to our guild as a freelancer with a disturbing proclivity for independence. A blind and deaf shut in knows who all of you are. And I am no blind and deaf shut in."

Jeral nodded wryly as he eyed the small woman.

"Well if the guild master will not meet with us who will?"

"As I said, one of our more senior members will meet with you."

Soreal pointed to a darkened hallway in the back of the room.

"Down that hall and up the stairs, he is waiting for you."

Jeral started off towards the back of the room when Yoshimo laid a restraining arm on his shoulder.

"Jeral before we proceed we should see if there is anything we can use. I promised Lady Nalia I would assist her in purchasing a set of thieves' tools and there is some excellent equipment here."

"Good idea Yoshimo. Let us take a look and see what they have."

Anomen and Minsc stood against the wall while the other four walked through the tables. Yoshimo led Jeral to the table and Jeral was soon holding a new bag of caltrops. Jeral beamed as he looked over his purchase and rolled a few of the small metal spikes around in his hand. Nalia looked at him with a confused expression and asked what they were.

Smiling Jeral replied, "Caltrops are small metal objects with pointed barbs on their ends. If you scatter a handful on the ground you can wound a man or lame a horse if you catch them unawares. I read many books in Candlekeep on the greatest thieves in the realm and they were mentioned prominently in a few stories. I try and gain any advantage where I can so I like to have a bag of them around just in case I ever need to run away."

"Thank you for the lesson, teacher Jeral."

Nalia laughed and shook her head as she turned back to Yoshimo as he held up a small set of lock picks made out of silver and ivory. The dozen small picks and files nestled in a bed of black velvet, each tool held in place in a small pouch outlined in silver thread.

"My lady Nalia, these should serve you well." Yoshimo handed over a handful of gold to Soreal and handed the pouch to Nalia.

"Thank you Yoshimo, this is a generous gift."

"It is nothing my dear, I will also be pleased to work with you on improving your skills."

Jeral quickly bought a similar set in a red pouch and tucked it into his pack.

"I assume those are for Imoen?"

"She is very talented with locks, and loves understanding how they work, so I am sure she will appreciate a good set of tools. Anything here of interest to you Viconia?"

"I have no need of anything here. The poisons are second rate so there is nothing I need."

Yoshimo cleared his throat and bowed theatrically.

"Good Soreal we thank you for your time but we have a meeting to attend. Come Jeral, Renal is this way."

Soreal's eyes briefly widened in surprised before she regained control over her facial features.

"I did not say who you are going to meet."

Smirking Yoshimo winked at the diminutive rogue as he headed towards the back room. .

"My lady, you are not the only one who trades in information."

They climbed to the second story and entered into a good size office. A small mousy man with flaming red hair sat at a table. His narrow face was pockmarked with scars and covered in freckles. His red hair was long and unruly and held back by a black scarf. Four diamond studs pierced his left ear while three pierced his right. He wore blood red leather armor and Jeral counted eight throwing knives openly displayed in a bandolier across his chest. A half-dozen thieves slouched in various dark corners of the room while a further half-dozen heavily armed guards stood alertly against the wall closest the door.

Yoshimo walked tentatively in the room. "Jeral, may I present Renal Bloodscalp."

"Out of the way Yoshimo, that's a good man. Ahhhh you must be Jeral of Candlekeep. I expected someone, well bigger, given all the stories that have reached my ears."

Renal leaned forward on his elbows and smiled broadly showing a mouth full of uneven yellowed teeth. Jeral noticed that the smile did not reach to his pale green eyes; they remained cold and focused, alert for any threat.

"And I expected more from the leader of the thieves' guild myself, particularly from a man with such a name."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk Jeral. You need to listen better for I am sure that Soreal told you that I am I am not the leader of the entire guild, well not yet anyway. But I am close enough so that it should not matter to you. I am also, like you I suspect, far more than I appear."

"Well that is one area in which we can find some small agreement."

"Enough pleasantries. I can see from the scowls on the faces of your two large plate clad friends that we need to get right to business. Very well, the leader of a small subordinate guild here in the Docks District has come under suspicion. Nasty fellow named Mae'Var. He seems to be too ambitious for his own good. I need someone to investigate and determine where his loyalties lie."

Jeral quickly remembered his disastrous experiences in Baldur's Gate when he refused to work the guild there. He was forced to fight his way out of the guild to save both Imoen and himself.

"And if I refuse?"

Smiling Renal licked his lips and shifted back in his seat.

"If you refuse you are free to go with my blessing. However, know well that we would be a powerful ally in your efforts to free Imoen and this small errand could earn you the goodwill of the guild. Without us your path to reclaim your sister is far more challenging, perhaps even impossible."

"Why not use your own people?"

"Do not be a simpleton Jeral. Using guild members can only cast doubt wider. A trusted outsider will help remove any threat and also will not throw blame back on the main guild should anything go awry."

"Fair enough. So what do you want us to do, and more importantly what is in it for us?"

"Investigate the guild and you will be richly rewarded, I know for a fact that you have need of a substantial amount of coin. In addition, you will gain access to the resources of the guild should you ever require assistance in the future. Furthermore, you will get my personal gratitude. While that may not sound like much I assure you I am a man of my word."

"It had better be a very rich reward. I accept your terms."

Renal snapped his fingers and a thief handed Jeral a scroll container.

"This letter of introduction will gain you entry into Mae'Var's guild, Yoshimo knows where it is. This scroll says you have been sent to reinforce the thieves in the guild against the attacks from a new guild that is attempting to challenge our dominance over this city. Step carefully and obey Mae'Var for he is not known as a gentle leader."

Jeral nodded and turned on his heel to depart the room. Renal cleared his throat and Jeral froze in place.

"I have to make one last request before I can allow you to leave."

Jeral pivoted on his heel and glared at Renal.

"Allow? You may want to rethink that word else we may have a problem."

The tone in Jeral's voice chilled the room and the thieves and guards quickly straightened up and placed hands close to their weapons. In response Minsc and Anomen strode forward to flank Jeral, ready to protect him from any threat. In close quarters the two heavily armored warriors would decimate their lightly armored opposition.

Sensing the danger, Renal looked around quickly and held his open hands up away from the desk.

"Jeral merely a poor choice of words on my part. No need for such concern my lad. You are of course free to leave as I said. However I would suggest that you may want to leave a few of your companions behind before you visit the guild. Anomen and Nalia are too well known to possibly work for a thief while Minsc is not built for subterfuge and subtlety. Yoshimo is known to all in the guild so his appearance will not arouse suspicion. As for her, a drow renegade working with our guild also makes sense. Your appearance is suitably common that most would not assume you are anything more than a young lad looking for some excitement. You even wear light armor suitable for one of our ilk so you three should arouse no suspicion at all. Just a suggestion. Good day."

After dropping off Minsc, Nalia and Anomen at the Sea's Bounty Tavern the remaining three headed on towards the subordinate guild house. Mae'Var's guild was a dark, decrepit building at the very edge of the docks that resembled a rundown tavern. The building stood a mere stone's throw from the smaller piers that held the local fishing fleet. The windows on the ground floor were covered by weather beaten shutters while the windows on the second floor were painted black. A quartet of tough looking men in leather jerkins loitered outside the building and glared at Jeral and the others as they approached. Yoshimo subtlety flashed a complex series of hand signals and the guards stood aside to allow the trio to pass.

Jeral and the other two entered, and after handing over the scroll provided by Renal they were soon escorted by a pair of guards to meet Mae'Var in the basement. In the back of the basement was a narrow passageway leading to a dungeon. The escorts stepped aside and motioned for Jeral and the others to proceed down the passageway. The trio walked down the passageway and soon entered into a second smaller chamber. The small room was poorly lit by a pair of torches, dank, smoky, and smelled of death. A quartet of leather clad guards stood along the far side of the room while an older man in a chain mail tunic stood to one side of the table. In the center of the room was a wooden table with a young muscular man strapped to it. The obvious leader of the guild stood behind the table. The trio came face to face with Mae'Var himself. Mae'Var was a large man, everything about him was unattractive. He was of a height with Jeral but a few stone heavier. His solid frame was covered by a majestic set of studded leather armor that seemed a few sizes too small for him. The armor was black and seemed to blend into the very shadows themselves. His heavily scarred face was covered by a thick black beard that glistened in the torch light. His closely cropped hair was dark as his beard and served to highlight that he was missing most of his left ear. The sleeves of his tunic were rolled up to the elbows and his massive hairy forearms were covered with blood and viscera from the poor soul strapped to the table before him.

He held a pair of small knives in his hands and raised them up as the party approached. Jeral watched transfixed as large drops of blood fell from the blades. Jeral could swear that he could smell the blood from across the room. He inhaled deeply and shuddered involuntarily as a wave of revulsion washed over his body.

"Well well well. What do we have here Peria? New meat for the table?"

One of the guards escorting Jeral and the others scurried forward and handed the scroll to the older man next to Mae'Var before rapidly backing away. The older man slowly unrolled the scroll and read it carefully.

"These here are folks sent from Renal to add to your strength my lord."

Mae'Var smiled broadly and flashed a set of gold capped teeth as he eyed the trio critically.

His thoughts were interrupted as the man on the table groaned slightly.

"Blast it all! I nearly let work get in the way of my recreation. Torim, keep this one alive. I have not given him permission to die just yet."

"As you command my lord."

The older man stepped forward and muttered a brief incantation as he held his hands over the man on the table. Faint color returned to his skin and Jeral could see the man breathing shallowly.

"Well done Torim. Now I can chat with this rabble without worrying about this one dying too soon."

"What did he do?" Jeral inquired.

"SILENCE! I did not give you permission to speak!"

Mar'Var shouted at Jeral as he pointed one of the small blades towards the bard with an arm shaking with anger. Mae'Var's face purpled with rage and spittle flew from his mouth as he roared at the bard.

Jeral lowered his eyes slightly, feigning deference to the leader of the guild, and waited for the tirade to end. After a long moment Mae'Var calmed down and smiled again at the group.

"You are new here so you are forgiven for not knowing my rules. There are many but the first two to remember are quite simple. Never interfere with my time down here and never speak unless commanded by me."

Jeral just stared blankly ahead as did Yoshimo and Viconia.

"Well I can only assume from your silence that you understand my simple rules. That gives me some hope that you may have some intelligence pooled between the three of you. Now stand there and be quiet while I decide what to do with you. I have a few minor projects where I could use disposable rabble such as you."

Mae'Var quickly returned his attention to the man on the table before him. Smiling gleefully he drew a blade along one leg and ripped the pants open exposing a muscular thigh. He then leaned forward and slid the second blade deeply into the meat of the leg. Jeral watched horrified as the blade slowly slid down towards the knee and the entire thigh opened up before his eyes. Blood poured out as the man moaned piteously on the table. He struggled feebly against his bonds as Mae'Var gleefully cut deeper and deeper until Jeral could see the thigh bone exposed.

Jeral fought back a wave of bile as he struggled to control his stomach and broke out in a cold sweat. Jeral saw his own flesh parting under the blades of his captor and imagined that Khalid suffered much as the man did before him. With less than a fortnight of freedom from the dungeons of the mage Irenicus Jeral's memories of the pain suffered pain at his captor's hands were all too fresh. Jeral realized that he could not watch as another man suffered such tortures at the hands of a sadist. Jeral took a deep breath and felt strength and speed course through his veins as he called upon the power within his blood. His stomach settled and rage quickly replaced revulsion as he critically eyed the sadist standing before him. Jeral slowly scanned the room and realized they there were facing eight armed opponents, four against the far wall two in the center of the room and two behind them. Badly outnumbered the only chance was to strike with surprise and trust that Yoshimo and Viconia would follow his unspoken lead.

Undeterred, Jeral prepared to act as he slowly moved his right arm across his body to draw the Blade of Roses. Viconia noticed a change and sensed the rising tensions within Jeral. Looking to forestall any rash action she slowly reached out to place a restraining hand on his wrist, He roughly shoved her hand aside as he drew his blades and wordlessly leapt at Mae'Var. As the first blade sliced towards Mae'Var the torturer hurled himself backwards and flipped the table over on its side to serve as a barrier between the two men. As the table hit the floor the room exploded in violence as Jeral's companions wordlessly leapt into action. Yoshimo drew his katana and attacked the pair of guards closest to him while Viconia hefted her war hammer and strode across the room to face the quartet of guards gathered there.

Jeral hopped over the table and lunged at the blood coated guild leader. Mae'Var hurled the dissection knives at Jeral but the unbalanced blades bounced harmlessly off his armor. The older man by the side of the table picked up a spiked mace and swung it at Jeral's head, forcing him to turn away from Mae'Var. Filled with rage Jeral contemptuously parried away the blow with his long sword and stabbed out viciously with the short sword held in his left hand. The enchanted blade easily slid through the man's chain mail tunic and Jeral drove it in to the hilt. Warm blood poured over Jeral's left hand. Jeral smiled as he realized that he had dealt the man a killing blow.

The man's eyes widened in pain and shock and his mace fell from his hand. Jeral gave the blade a twist to maximize the pain inflicted before tearing it out. As the blade withdrew the man collapsed to the floor and moaned as blood poured out of his massive wound. Jeral saw the glint of steel out of the corner of his eye and twisted to avoid the blade. Despite his efforts the blade sliced through his studded leather armor and bit into his side. As pain washed over his body Jeral knew it was a minor wound and he squared up to face Mae'Var.

The guild master had regained his feet and held a cleaver in his left hand and a short sword in his right. The short sword was coated with Jeral's blood and Mae'Var smiled as he faced the smaller man.

"Renal is getting sloppy to send such rank amateurs to assassinate me. You three are no match for us. You are all gonna die slow on my table; although the dark one may serve in my bed first."

Out of the corner of his eye Jeral saw a guard fall to the ground and he was confident that Yoshimo and Viconia were more than capable of handling the handful of remaining guards.

Embracing the hate running through his body Jeral roared, "Shut up and fight you sadistic freak!"

Jeral charged into Mae'Var and blades clashed noisily. Jeral was stronger and faster than his opponent and steadily pushed him backwards under a fury of blows. Mae'Var parried blow after blow but was completely on the defensive. His back foot slid into the wall and he realized that he was out of room to maneuver; he could not back away from Jeral's attacks any longer. Mae'Var slashed out wildly with the cleaver and Jeral leaned back to escape the blow. Mae'Var quickly pivoted his hips and followed that attack up and stabbed out with his short sword. Jeral was caught flat footed by the second strike and lashed out with the Blade of Roses in a desperate attempt to parry the strike. Jeral was a spilt second too slow to parry the blade and it bit deeply into his stomach. Jeral's blade swung down in a blur of silver and severed Mae'Var's right hand from his arm. He howled in pain and cradled the bloody stump against his chest as he dropped the cleaver from his left hand. Moaning in agony he leaned heavily against the wall and slowly slid to the ground. Jeral looked down and was horrified that Mae'Var's severed hand still clutched on the hilt of the sword that was embedded in Jeral's stomach. Jeral ripped the bladed from his stomach and dropped it to the floor. He quickly called upon his powers to close the wound in his stomach.

Confident that his wounds were no longer fatal Jeral quickly scanned the room and saw that Viconia was fighting two guards in one corner of the room while Yoshimo was finishing off the last guard facing him. Jeral raced over to join Viconia and the pair quickly dispatched the remaining opponents. Breathing heavily Jeral eyed Viconia and Yoshimo as he fought to regain control and push the rage back deep down inside himself. The pair showed evidence of minor wounds but nothing too serious. Despite the long odds they had survived.

Jeral strode over to stand before Mae'Var and pointed his long sword towards his chest. Blood continued to pour from his wounded arm, drenching his clothes, and pooling on the floor underneath his body. His face was drawn and pale as he struggled to breathe. He raised his face to look upon Jeral with pain filled eyes. He quickly looked around the room and realized that all of his guards were dead.

"Mercy good sir…Please show mercy."

"HA! Pathetic male. One small wound and you turn into a mewing child."

Viconia pulled a torch from the wall and strode over to stand next to Jeral. Mae'Var looked up at the pair piteously.

"Please don't let me bleed to death. I will do anything you require, just do not let me bleed to death."

"Very well. Hold out your arm."

Mae'Var extended his right arm and held the bloody stump up for inspection. Blood poured from the wound and Jeral stared in fascination as he looked at the end of the bones at the wrist. The blade has easily sliced through muscle and bone leaving nothing but a smooth surface behind.

Viconia stepped forward and quickly pinned his arm to the floor under her boot heel. Viconia swiftly touched the flaming touch to the wound and Mae'Var howled like a wounded animal as the flesh sizzled and cracked. He struggled to pull his arm away but Viconia had it securely pinned under her heel. The smell of burning meat assaulted Jeral's nose. Viconia pressed the torch down a second time and Mae'Var howled in pain before he passed out. Viconia pulled the torch away and gazed at the wound dispassionately.

"That has stopped the bleeding, he will not trouble us for some time, if every again. I suppose you want me to look at this foolish male on the table now?"

Jeral shakily nodded in the affirmative. Viconia snorted in amusement as she returned the torch to the wall sconce and moved to examine the man strapped to the table. Pulling a dagger from her belt she quickly cut the straps holding the man to the table and laid him out on the floor. She cut away the remains of his clothes and eyed his wounds with a critical eye.

"He will live Jeral. His right hand is too damaged for me to repair but everything else is just largely superficial. This Mae'Var was pathetic. He did not know the first thing about inflicting pain. I knew more as a child."

"Please do what you can for him Viconia. We will take him with us. We need to get out of here before anyone one else in the guild notices what we have done. If they attack in numbers we will be trapped down here."

Viconia nodded in reluctant agreement and mumbled a few incantations. She healed the remaining major wounds of the man on the table and stepped back as he started struggling to stand up. With an effort he made it to his feet and he eyed Jeral warily. The man standing before Jeral looked of a similar age but that was where the similarities ended. The man standing before Jeral was short and thickly muscled. His skin, where it was not covered in scars of bruises was pale and almost hairless. His face was handsome and he looked at Jeral with pale green eyes filled with intelligence and suspicion. Although dirty and blood covered in spots his light hair was cut short in a style considered fashionable amongst the nobility.

"I owe the three of you my life. I am in your debt. I would shake your hand but Mae'Var has ensured that is something I can no longer do."

"Introductions can wait, as can your words of gratitude. Can you walk? We need to get out of here before anyone notices what we have done."

"I will do whatever I have to do to get out of this horrible place. Please get me back to the guild and you will be richly rewarded."

"Very well let us leave this place as quickly as we can."

A gentle chuckle caused both Jeral and the freed prisoner to turn and look at the drow cleric. She placed her hands on her hips and started longingly at the man in front of her.

"Male, I admit that I am not fully versed in the ways of the surfacers but I am reasonably sure that a naked man walking through the city will draw undue attention. Even one as heavily muscled and attractive as you are.

The lad, belatedly realizing his nakedness, blushed and hastily covered himself with his hands.

Chuckling he looked around the room. "Uh she is right; let me see if I can find some clothes here."

He quickly scrambled amongst the bodies and pulled together a pair of pants, boots and a rough hewn tunic. Other than a few small blood stains they looked nondescript enough to escape notice for the short trek to the main guild.

"You fools will never make it out of here. My lads will cut you to pieces the minute you head upstairs. You got lucky against my men down here, I suspect that will not happen again."

Everyone turned with a start to stare at Mae'Var. Pale from the loss of blood, and clearly in pain he struggled to push himself to his feet. Panting from the exertion he eyed Jeral with hate filled eyes and a smug expression on his face as he took a tentative step towards Jeral.

Jeral drew his long sword and pointed it at Mae'Var. The man's confident gaze faded as he stared nervously at the blade that had taken his right hand and backed up against the wall. Licking his lips he held up his left hand in front of his body.

"You kill me and you will never make it out of here alive. Spare my life and you may have some small chance of escape."

Viconia sneered at the offer.

"Jeral you cannot possibly trust this one, he will betray us the first chance he gets in order to save his own skin."

"She is right Jeral. We were sent here to find evidence of disloyalty; instead we have killed seven loyal guild members, maimed the guild leader, and have no evidence of any wrong doing. Your rash actions may cost all of us our lives. We need to escape from here and then consider fleeing the city."

"Fear not my friends. Spare my life and I will make no mention of the men you have killed. They are nothing, less than nothing. Walk away and all will be forgotten."

Mae'Var pushed himself off the wall and started walking towards Jeral and Viconia. Smiling he held his arms out wide as he approached Jeral and Viconia. Jeral raised his sword and pointed it at Mae'Var. He stopped inches away from the blade and eyed Jeral.

"Come, come lad enough with the pretences. You are not going to kill me. That is clearly not in your nature. You could have let me bleed to death but you made the dark one save my life. You could have slit my throat while I was helpless on the floor but you did not. You lack the commitment to your cause. The other two would kill me without hesitation yet they follow you so I am in no further danger. If you wish to leave here with your skins you will do exactly what I s….. unggggghhh."

Mae'Var never finished his sentence as his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell to the floor. As the body collapsed onto the floor Jeral started at the meat cleaver buried in the back of his head. The blade had smashed through bone and brain delivering its killing blow.

The newly freed prisoner reached down and wrenched the meat cleaver from Mae'Var's head and smiled as he looked at the corpse.

"I can get you the evidence you need. We must hurry."

Jeral eyed the man critically and then sheathed his long sword.

"Why should I believe you?"

"Because I know your mission. I was sent here a week ago to find the very same evidence. I was noticed entering Mar'Var's room and brought down here. Apparently they sent you after I did not return. "

The lad knelt down and started rifling through Mae'Var's pockets. Smiling he held up a small platinum key. "This opens the safe in Mae'Var's room and we will find the proof we need there."

"How can you possibly know that?"

Mae'Var likes to brag, I learned much while strapped to his table."


	10. Viconia has a plan

_This is a continuation to the cliffhanger ending in Chapter 9, well not so much a cliffhanger as I was tired and it seemed long enough to post. If you are easily offended then this is probably a chapter to skip. This chapter contains some out of the box thinking by a certain drow cleric so fair warning._

Chapter 10: Viconia has a plan

"So what is going on? Is Mae'Var disloyal? Explain yourself!" Jeral glared at the recently freed prisoner with rage in his eyes. The young man nodded nervously as he replied.

"Absolutely, he hates the current guild leadership and was plotting to kill them all, every last one of them."

"Who is he working with?"

"I do not know much about them. They call themselves the Night Knives, they are actively working to overthrown the guild and take over crime in Athkatla. A number of members of our guild have defected to them, and others have just disappeared. They always attack at night and never leave survivors."

"The pretty one seems conveniently well informed Jeral. Can we believe him? Perhaps I should encourage him to speak the truth. I am sure I can get the truth from him and make the pain that Mae'Var inflicted look like a child's kiss in comparison. I can start with his good hand."

The lad paled and eyed Viconia nervously as he quickly glanced back to look at Jeral with wide pleading eyes.

"Please Jeral, I swear on my mother's life that I speak the truth. This key will open Mae'Var's strong box. The evidence you require should be there."

Jeral nodded curtly at the young man. "Well before we go any further let's start with something simple. Who are you?"

"My name is Kretor."

"I have heard tales of this one Jeral. He is supposed to be a burglar without compare. Able to scale the smoothest wall and open any container, this one is a rising star in the guild."

Kretor gave Yoshimo a mocking bow and held up his mangled right hand.

"Well I may have to get by on my reputation now for I will not be climbing anything in the near future. I fear that my star will rise no further. "

"Thank you for the information Yoshimo. So let's assume for a moment that I believe you Kretor. How can we get the evidence we need and get out of here? The guild is clearly warded against invisibility spells so we will be seen wherever we go."

"Jeral, perhaps we should depart and collect our companions at the tavern. With Minsc and Anomen we could certainly force our way upstairs and collect the evidence we need."

"Yoshimo, you are timid like an old woman. There is no need for such heavy handed methods. Sometimes the simplest approach will work."

Yoshimo's face flushed in anger before he regained control of his features and nodded tightly. Looking to head off any argument Jeral stepped between the pair end eyed the cleric with a quizzical look on his face.

"Ok Viconia, you have our attention, what do you have in mind?"

Smiling Viconia took off her helmet, dropped it on the floor, and ran her fingers through her hair.

"You and Yoshimo are going to walk out the front door and return to the tavern. Tell anyone who will listen that Mae'Var has taken a shine to me and sent the two of you away to await further instructions. Kretor and I will do the rest."

"What are you and Kretor going to do?"

"Jeral, I will tell you when I meet you at the tavern. I expect wine, blood red, strong, and extremely expensive. For one of my background this is simplicity itself. I will walk upstairs unchallenged and master of all. They will take me for one of their betters and not dare to stand in my way."

Yoshimo and Jeral looked at one another, indecision apparent on their faces. Viconia glared at the men with a look of supreme confidence on her face. To doubt her was to face her wrath. Yoshimo shrugged once and started walking out of the torture chamber. Jeral locked eyes with Viconia and slowly followed Yoshimo out of the room.

Viconia calmly watched the two depart the chamber and then turned to face Kretor. She scanned the room with a critical eye before locking her gaze upon Kretor.

"First things first boy. Quickly search everyone here and take anything of value."

Kretor nodded and hastily searched through the carnage in the room. He found Mae'Var's heavy coin purse and a lighter one on the cleric who lay beside him. He tossed both of them to Viconia who smoothly tucked them into a small pouch at her side as she looked around the room warily.

"Anything else here that we want?" Kretor pointed towards the floor.

"Mae'Var's armor. It is incredibly valuable. Mae'Var claims it helms him move unseen."

"Well it did not help him today did it? Pity though for we cannot take it with us. It is too large to conceal and too well known. Should we go upstairs with this armor everyone there will know something is amiss, and then we would have a problem."

Kretor rose to his feet and eyed Viconia.

"So now what? You allowed your friends to leave so we are one woman and a cripple trapped in the basement of the guild."

"Where I come from I would have you shipped for such insolence." Smiling Viconia licked her teeth as she eyed Kretor hungrily.

"Take off your clothes and tell me the path to Mae'Var's bedroom."

Kretor gaped at the drow but the look on her face brooked no argument. Shyly he quickly removed the clothes he had put on only moments before as he stammered out directions to Mae'Var's private chambers.

Viconia pulled a pair of thin purple ropes out of her pouch and loosely tied Kretor's arms behind his back with the first rope. His hands looked tightly bound but in reality he could escape the bonds with a simple flick of the wrist. She then folded up his clothes and tucked them into her bag. Smiling evilly she then tied the second rope around his most intimate of areas and stood back to admire her work. Unlike the knots on his wrists this knot was well tied and very secure.

Viconia turned on a heel and draped the rope over her shoulder. With a flick of her hair and a gentle tug of the rope she strode off down the hallway.

"Come slave. Mae'Var has told me to amuse myself with you until he can join me." Kretor stared dumbly at the floor as he trailed after Viconia.

The odd looking pair strode upstairs and entered the common room of the guild. The half dozen men in the room started wide eyed in astonishment as they eyed the bizarre sight in front of them. A few stammered half hearted challenges but none dared confront the drow or change Mae'Var's wrath when she suggested they check downstairs to speak with Mae'Var personally. Viconia boldly strode through the room and up the stairs to the upper level of the building.

Passing another dozen or so awestruck onlookers Viconia slowly made her way to the back of the building. She strode through the building as if she owned it and she was taking her time on a leisurely stroll. A young woman stood in the hallway a few paces from Mae'Var's door as she worked to pick the lock on a panel affixed to the wall. She was clad in simple leather armor and wore pale grey leggings. Her thick black hair was tied back with a matching grey band. A dagger on her belt was her only visible weapon. Viconia snapped her fingers and looked at the woman with a haughty glare on her face.

"You there. Come here immediately. I require your assistance."

The woman slowly strode over to stand before Viconia, a confused look plastered on her young face as she fiddled with the lock picks held in her hands.

"Yes?"

"I have need of your opinion. You look like a women who has known many men. Does this one appear pleasing by surfacer standards?"

The young woman blushed furiously and Kretor thought that she was still a maid based on her reaction. She could not look at him as she shifted her gaze between her own feet and Viconia's.

"Come now lass. Look at this male."

Viconia grasped the girl's chin in her left hand and forced her gaze on Kretor. The girl blushed, took a deep breath and then took a long roving look taking it all in as she gazed up and down and back again.

"Well done. Hold this while I open the door."

Viconia handed the young woman Kretor's unconventional leash as she turned to unlock the door. The girl jumped back a step causing the leash to tug at Kretor painfully. He gasped and shuffled forward.

Viconia turned to eye the girl with a critical eye.

"Gentle there, do not damage that. For if he cannot perform I will require you to service me in his stead."

Viconia returned her attention to the door, unlocked it and opened it wide.

She strode into the room as if it was her own bedchamber.

"You there, bring in my amusement. Quickly now."

The girl reluctantly stepped into the room and her eyes darted nervously about the room.

"This is _his_ room. No one is supposed to be in here. That is one of his rules."

"That rule obviously does not apply to me. I am Mae'Var's. He gave me the key and his prisoner so I can amuse myself until he comes up and joins me. Now lay him on the bed and untie his leash for I need those parts unfettered to better pleasure me."

"I can't do that." The girl looked at the floor and muttered the words softly.

Viconia rounded on her and stood inched from her face.

"What is your name?"

"My name?"

"Do not make me ask again!"

"My name is, um…..I mean, I am called…uh..Miressa."

"Well Miressa, Mae'Var is going to be up here in minutes. When he is lying with me in bed should I tell him how helpful Miressa was or how she was a disobedient whelp undeserving of his favor? The choice is yours, but I suggest you choose wisely."

The girl swallowed and nodded mutely as she led Kretor over to the bed. She quickly helped him lie down on his back with his hands awkwardly underneath him.

"Quickly girl, set him free from his leash. I have needs and am growing impatient."

Miressa nodded mutely, set her jaw firmly and with a look of determination leaned in to untie the knot. Her nimble fingers struggled to untie the intricate knots. She forced herself to focus on the knot and not the surroundings. She started to pull and tug on the rope as she wanted to finish her task and depart as quickly as possible.

Kretor struggled to remain quiet as the woman continued to tug at his groin. He raised his head off the bed to see what she was doing and the sight of her dainty hands on him caused nature to take its course.

As his excitement because apparent she sat up with a start. Before she could say anything the handle of Viconia's war hammer struck her violently on the back of the head and she collapsed on the bed.

Viconia strode over to the door and quietly closed and locked it before she turned to face Kretor. After a long lingering gaze she tossed him his clothes.

"Get dressed. You will have to go barefoot for I could not carry your boots."

"No matter. I cannot believe that you managed to get us in here."

Viconia laughed and tossed her hair back.

"Pretty one know this. Most people are sheep, if you act like you belong and act confident that can take you almost anywhere. Besides, when a woman is leading a woman around by his manhood how can anyone suspect anything underhanded? Something that outrageous had to be done with Mae'Var's approval."

"Fair enough."

Kretor hopped to his feet and then looked down.

"Uh, I hate to ask but I cannot untie this with only one good hand.

Smiling Viconia pulled the knife from Miressa's belt and leaned forward. Before Kretor could protest the rope fell to the floor, sliced neatly in half. Viconia winked and tossed him the knife as she walked to the other side of the room

"Now get dressed and get that safe open."

Kretor hastened to respond and after dressing he opened the safe. Inside he found a handful of scrolls, a small bag of gems, and a pair of boots.

Kretor put on the boots while Viconia tucked the scrolls away in her bag. Viconia took the bag of gems and tucked them deep in Miressa's shirt. Seeing Kretor's confused expression Viconia just shrugged.

"Something about her reminds me of me a very long time ago. She is through in this guild so hopefully those gems will allow her to make her way in the world. Is the window safe to open?"

Kretor scanned the window carefully and after a few moments nodded.

Viconia threw open the shutters and pulled back the curtains. A quick glance out showed that there were no guards on the side of the building.

"Follow me, and be quick about it."

Viconia placed her hand on the window ledge and boldly leapt out of the window. She nimbly landed and dropped to a knee as she scanned the immediate area for any threats. Without raising her head she whistled softly and Kretor dropped to the ground next to her. Viconia gave him an approving nod as the pair strode out of the alleyway and into the crowds moving about the docks. The pair drew no undue attention as they moved away from the building and arrived at the Sea's Bounty a short time later.

Entering the common room Viconia heard Minsc before she saw him. Heading towards the back of the common room she saw her five companions seated around a large round table in the far corner of the tavern. The remains of a large lunch were spread across the table. Boo was lying on the table surrounded by a large pile of nuts and bread crumbs. Apparently the rodent had eaten its fill and was in need of a nap. As Viconia and Kretor made their way across the room Jeral and Anomen rose to their feet to welcome the pair.

Jeral smiled broadly and handed Viconia a silver goblet of wine.

"Glad you made it. Here is your wine. While not the best vintage I can assure you it is the most expensive wine in this tavern and in their nicest goblet."

Smiling wolfishly Viconia nodded her thanks, took a healthy drink of wine, and sat down at the table. Jeral patted Kretor on the back in welcome and offered him a chair between he and Yoshimo. Yoshimo clapped his hands and a young serving girl quickly approached. The bounty hunter directed her to bring lunch for two more and strong ale for Kretor. Within moments she was back with a mug of ale, two small loaves of bread and bowls of a thick lamb stew.

"So how did it go? Did you get the evidence we need?"

Kretor shrugged his shoulders and locked eyes with Jeral.

"I think so. We got everything in his safe but we did not have time to read it. If he has any correspondence that will incriminate him it has to be here."

Viconia tossed the scrolls on the table where Yoshimo, Kretor and Nalia started to unroll them and scan through them. Jeral just eyed Viconia across the table. She locked eyes with Jeral and smiled blandly at him. Jeral felt his heart beat faster, something about the drow just drew him in, he realized that he was smitten and wondered what would come of it.

Kretor hammered the table with his undamaged hand as he exclaimed, "I knew I was right!" He held up a scroll triumphantly and waved it in front of Jeral. "This lays out his agreement to support the Night Knives in exchange for increased standing in their new guild structure. He sent good men to their deaths for his own greed and revenge. We need to get to the guild, they need to see this!"

"Patience good Kretor, you need to eat you have suffered much and need to regain your strength. This will wait."

Kretor drained his mug of ale and tore off a heel of bread from one of the newly arrived loaves. He then rose to his feet and eyed Viconia with a pleading look on his face.

"My lady I am ready to make my report to the guild. Would you and your companions accompany me? I am sure you will be richly rewarded for your assistance."

Viconia took two bites of her stew, drained her wine and slowly rose to her feet.

Looking at the others she smiled sweetly at the group as she cooed, "let us go and return this child to his home. We can collect our reward and be on our way. I need to go shopping for a new helmet, for I left mine at Mae'Var's."

The others quickly got to their feet. Yoshimo threw a handful of gold on the table, swatted the serving girl on the rump and followed the party out into the afternoon sun.

Kretor led the way as he raced through the crowds to return to the guild headquarters where the party had started their day. As the seven approached the building the guardsmen stepped forward out of the shadows as they had done before. Seeing Kretor approach one of the men raced forward and embraced the young man in a massive bear hug while the other opened the door to the guild and patted him fondly on the back as he strode past.

As Kretor entered the guild a roar arose from everyone in the entrance chamber. Men were clapping and welcoming him back. A crowd of a couple dozen closely gathered around Kretor as the party stood on the edge of the crowd watching the raucous homecoming.

"Son!"

A hush fell over the room as Soreal's voice cried out from the far side of the room. She raced across the room and stopped inched away from Kretor. She looked him up and down and cradled his mangled hand in her palms. She dropped her head and started sobbing, her entire body wracked with tears as she wept with joy. Kretor leaned forward to embrace his mother as he broke down as well. The crowd around Kretor immediately silenced and they slowly walked away from the intimate moment.

After a few moments Soreal stepped back and wiped the tears from her eyes. Looking at Jeral she smiled and nodded her head in joy.

"Thank you, I had almost given up hope but you have done it. You have returned my son to me."

"I did not know you had a child. You look too young."

Soreal flashed a glare at Yoshimo that indicated that the flattery was unwelcome and poorly timed.

"Yoshimo, you are not one of us, not really. I keep my private life very private as you can understand for one in work such as this. But enough of this. Renal is expecting a report. You all had best go on back, he is waiting. I will be waiting here when you are done."

Soreal reluctantly dropped her son's hand and watched as he led the way into the back and up the stairs to Renal's office.

Kretor strode into Bloodscalp's office and stopped six paces from his desk. Jeral and the others filled in the room behind them. Renal smiled at their approach and leaned back in his chair as he affected a casual air; despite his feigned indifference Jeral could tell the man was very excited by their return.

"Well well well. I did not expect to see you lot back so quickly. And I did not expect to see you every again. Welcome back lad."

Kretor nodded slightly and held himself stiffly erect. Renal gazed at Kretor for several moments before he shook his head slightly and leaned forward in his chair.

"Right then. What have you found? Is Mae'Var a fine fellow or not?"

"Absolutely not. Take a look for yourself."

Kretor laid the scrolls out on Renal's desk and stepped back. Renal unrolled them and spread them out over the desk. He scanned them for long moments before he burst out in laughter.

"This is too delicious! I knew that son of a whore was plotting but I had no idea it was this impressive, and so well documented. Kretor. Jeral. All of you, very well done. So tell me, how did Mae'Var die?"

"How could you possibly know Mae'Var is dead?"

"Come come Kretor don't look so surprised. We heard you were taken by Mae'Var and he never would willingly part with one of his toys. You are standing here in front of me relatively whole and healthy, therefore he must be dead. So who killed him?"

Jeral stepped forward and placed a hand on Kretor's shoulder.

"Kretor did. We managed to free him and during the fight he put a cleaver into Mae'Var's skull."

"Excellent, very well done my boy, very well done. Sorry I was not there to see it myself."

Renal leaned back in his chair and motioned to one of the men standing by the wall. He walked over and Renal whispered something in his ear. The man nodded and quickly departed the room trailed by two others.

"Kretor, you may go as well, spend some time with your mother. I will speak with you again later. Well done."

Nodding at the others Kretor quickly strode from the room. Renal waited until he departed before he continued speaking.

"I have dispatched some trusted hands to go and claim Mae'Var's body and that spectacular armor of his. We will also allow the members of his guild the choice to return to the fold or depart the city never to return. But enough about guild business, we have more interesting things to discuss. Now let's get to your payment. I have already alerted Gaylen to credit 4,000 gold towards your tab for information on your sister Nalia. I also have an addition 6,000 gold here for you. I have already separated it into six pouches to make it easy for you to split up amongst yourselves."

Jeral was overwhelmed by the significant amount of coin that Renal had paid them. It was far more than he expected. Even Anomen looked impressed by the man's generosity.

I also want to provide something more personal to you as an expression of my gratitude. Renal rose to his feet and removed his sword belt. He slid the scabbard off the belt and drew a short sword. Once clear of the scabbard he held it up in the light and twisted it slowly from side to side.

The blade of the sword was clearly razor sharp and heavily enchanted. Additionally, the blade seemed to absorb the torchlight and did provide any reflection. The blade appeared to be made of darkness woven into the metal of the blade itself.

Renal reversed his grip and held the blade out hilt first toward the party. Jeral stepped forward and took hold of the blade. He stepped away from the others and took a few practice swings. The blade was incredibly light and also extremely sharp. Jeral sucked on his finger where he had rubbed it lightly against the blade. The finger came away bloody from the lightest touch on the weapon.

Renal chuckled as he watched Jeral gaze at the blade.

"By rights this should go to someone within the guild but you have more than earned it. This blade is truly one of a kind. Heavily enchanted it will strike faster than any other weapon and will never reflect any sort of light to reveal your position. It is known as the 'Night's Gift' and has been passed down for centuries within this guild. Use it well."

Wordlessly Jeral unstrapped his short sword from his left leg and replaced it with the new blade. He laid his old blade on Renal's desk and indicated that he wanted the man to have it. Renal nodded his thanks as he strapped the other blade to his belt.

"While no match for this blade that is still a very good weapon Renal. I thank you for your generosity and hope this one serves you well."

Renal smiled broadly and Jeral noticed with a start the for once the smile reached his eyes.

"I thank you and your friends once again for this great service. You have made an ally today of both me and the entire guild. Fare thee well."

Jeral nodded his thanks and led the companions from the room. Downstairs the met with Kretor and he and his mother agreed to join them for dinner at the Copper Coronet. The six departed the guild and made their way back to the Copper Coronet to prepare for dinner. Yoshimo suggested that they use some of their new funds to rent out six rooms for as long as they were in the city. Hendak and Bernard were more than happy to comply and provided the party six rooms at the end of the west hallway on the second floor. The group would still be together but each would have some privacy, and more importantly no one would have to share a room with Minsc. His snoring was legendary and whomever roomed with Minsc spent a long uncomfortable night listening to him rumble.

Since dinner was a celebration Bernard arranged for them to have the private room off to one side of the common room. The staff of the inn went to great lengths to make the dinner memorable. Somewhere Bernard managed to find a white table cloth and drape it over the table. While Jeral appreciated the effort he wryly noted that the overall affect was somewhat lessened by the dried bloodstains at one end of the table cloth. Apparently the last diners who used the table cloth had an interesting evening. Everyone in the group had bathed and dressed in their finest attire. Anomen was the only one who arrived at dinner in armor but he did leave his helmet and shield in his room. The others wore no armor but each did bring a weapon with them. Even in the tavern it did not make sense to move about completely unprepared. Delicate dishes, crystal goblets and candles completed the scene. Serving girls brought in an endless stream of ales and wines to provide plenty of libations to the group. Trays of fresh fruit, freshly baked bread and cheeses started off the meal.

Jeral had just finished his first ale when Soreal and Kretor arrived to join them for dinner. Unlike Jeral and his companions the pair were armed and in armor. Even for a celebration it was risky to venture out at night. Soreal was in her grey leathers and armored with her rapier while Kretor wore a finely made set of dark brown studded leather armor. A short sword was strapped to his left leg and the hilt of a throwing knife peeked out from the top of his left boot.

After a round of cheerful greetings Kretor placed a set of leather boots on the table. Seeing the confused looks around him he smiled and slid the boots towards Yoshimo.

"These are the boots Viconia and I found in Mae'Var's safe. They are heavily enchanted to aid one in silent movement."

Viconia smiled at the young man and he blushed in return. Sipping her wind she inquired, "why don't you or your mother keep the boots? I am sure you can put them to good use."

Soreal smiled and patted her son on the arm.

"I am sure we could put them to use, however we owe you our thanks for saving my son's life. Yoshimo is your scout and is very talented, however these boots will make him even more effective."

"The guild has already rewarded us richly."

"Indeed my lady, I did not expect thieves to be so generous or honorable."

Soreal nodded in acknowledgement at Viconia and Anomen in turn as she sipped her wine.

"Squire Anomen, even those in our profession can have honor, although perhaps not as much as one in the Order. Never the less, the guild may have expressed their gratitude but this is personal. You brought back my son and for that I am forever in your debt. If these boots can aid you in your quest please take them. Know you have an ally in me."

"And me, after all you did save my life. While I am of little use until I can get more comfortable using my left hand, my blade and my life are yours."

Touched by their words silence fell over the party. Yoshimo reached across the table and pulled the boots towards him. Quickly removing his own boots he slid on the enchanted pair. He stood up and took a few steps before turning to face the table.

He smiled and bowed deeply, "you have my thanks. These are a perfect fit, and know that I will put them to very good use."


	11. A Helmite and a Sharran go for a walk

Chapter 11: A Helmite and a Sharran go for a walk

After the prior night's raucous celebration morning came far too early for most. Individually, each made their way downstairs for a late breakfast. Jeral, Minsc, Nalia and Yoshimo all staggered into the common room, each looking worse than the one who preceded them. Only Viconia and Anomen looked none the worse for wear, as both came downstairs dressed for a day's work fully armed and armored. Even Boo looked out of sorts as he dozed on the table in front of a clearly hungover Minsc. Bernard brought over a handful of mugs of steaming coffee. As the group looked at him quizzically he smiled reassuringly, showing a mouth full of yellowed teeth and the remains of his own breakfast.

"This is the strongest coffee I have; it should give you a boost and help you start your day properly. It looked like quite the celebration last night, I hope this helps."

Jeral weakly nodded his thanks and took a sip from his mug. The coffee was thick as honey and burned going down. Renewed energy surged through his body and his headache faded to the back of his mind. However it only lingered there for a moment before it roared right back to where it started. Jeral belched and struggled to keep down his dinner from the night before.

"I think I am going to take a day and recover a bit. My apologies all, please excuse me."

Jeral weakly got to his feet, picked up his mug, and unsteadily headed back upstairs. Yoshimo and Nalia soon followed him, each looking even worse than Jeral did. Minsc did not get up from the table; instead he laid his head down on the table and was soon fast asleep, his snores ruffling Boo's fur with each massive rumbling breath.

Anomen and Viconia eyed one another across the table as they broke their fast and drank their coffee. After finishing his meal Anomen rose to his feet and extended his arm to Viconia.

"Since it appears that we are the only two who did not over indulge last night will you join me for a walk on this fine morning?"

Viconia rolled her eyes at the formal request but bit back any sarcastic response. Nodding once she rose to her feet and pulled the hood of her cloak over her head, leaving her face covered in deep shadow.

"Very well, I have learned not to wander the streets on my own. Do lead on Helmite."

Anomen led the way outdoors into the bright morning sun. He removed his helmet and breathed deeply in the morning air. He strapped his helmet to a thong on his belt and strode slowly through the streets. He and Viconia walked in companionable silence for some time until Viconia noticed where they were heading.

"Helmite, why are we heading to the Bridge District?"

"I am just out for a walk to get some exercise. I must maintain my stamina for long field marches with the Order so a day on my feet is suitable practice. This direction seems as suitable as any."

"So the fact that Sarek Farhaad and his family have their estate in the district is of no concern to you?"

Anomen scowled as he eyed Viconia darkly.

"Are you a witch? How can you possibly know what is on my mind?"

Viconia laughed delightedly at the Helmite's accusation. Her laugh reminded him of his sister when they used to play in the fountain as children. Something about the laugh just spoke to pure joy.

Viconia quickly recovered her composure and walked closer to Anomen. Standing right next to him she spoke quietly as they walked side by side.

"Understand this male, your type are generally easy to understand. Men are usually focused on their pride or their desires. Once someone understands that, determining their actions is child's play itself. You can no more hide your secrets from me than a tree can hide from the sun."

"So you are telling me that you understand my pride and desires? How can someone from your world understand anything of mine?"

"Of course I can see your pride and desires Anomen. Despite what you would believe my world was not that much different from this one. All people, all living beings, have something that drives them; once you take the time to determine what that is everything else falls into place. You are easier to read than most, for you wear your emotions near the surface. You also have no taste for obfuscation for you are an honest man."

"Of course, I have always spoken the truth and that will never change."

"That is well and good, but sometimes you give your enemies too much to use against you."

"I will not lie, I am not like you." Anomen retorted sharply.

"And more is the pity; however I am not asking you to lie so do not get defensive with me. I am telling you that by keeping a better reign on your emotions you can improve your odds of getting whatever it is that you most desire. Silence can often be as effective as a lie and it would not go against your principles or your precious Order."

Anomen walked on in silence and Viconia sensed that she was getting through to the Squire.

"You are a devout follower of Helm, are you not?"

"You know that I am."

"Does your Watcher God reveal all to you?"

"Of course not, he reveals only what he feels I am worthy to know."

"Or perhaps, he wants his followers to learn for themselves. The time will come where silence will serve you as well as a lie serves me. Just consider my words."

Looking to change the subject Anomen shook his head and asked the question that had bothered him since the start of their conversation.

"Viconia, what is it I most desire? Please do tell me." Anomen asked through a voice heavy with skepticism.

"You want three things male. You want revenge, honor, and love."

Anomen did not respond to Viconia so she continued.

"The thirst for revenge is obvious. You rightly mourn for your sister's loss and yearn to avenge her. That is understandable, we drow understand revenge very well. You believe that Sarek had a role in your sister's death so you would welcome the chance to kill him. The blood price must be paid; someone must die for your sister's death."

"He cannot get away with it, he cannot." Anomen clenched his fists tightly and his handsome face flashed red with anger.

"Calm yourself Helmite. As we have already told you Sarek did not play a role in your sister's death. You must believe me. I looked into the man's eyes and saw no deception there. I have yet to meet a surfacer who can lie to me."

Anomen stopped walking and turned to stare at Viconia.

"When did you see Sarek?"

"The night Nalia and Minsc kept you company Jeral, Yoshimo, and I paid him a visit. We waited until very late in the evening, incapacitated his guards, broke into his home, and stole into his bed chamber. I interrogated him with a knife to his throat and he said he had nothing to do with your sister's death. He spoke the truth. No matter how much you want to believe otherwise know that he is innocent of that crime."

Anomen stepped back a step and gawked at Viconia in astonishment. "You did what?"

"You heard me Helmite. Sarek did not do it; no one in his employ did either. But know this, when we find out who murdered your sister I will aid you in your quest for revenge. I do not tolerate violence against females. Consider me an ally when the time comes to repay that debt in blood. We may disagree on many things but not on the need for revenge."

Anomen swallowed once, nodded his appreciation and continued walking down the street.

"So that is my thirst for revenge?"

"Correct."

"So my desire for honor must be my desire for Knighthood by the Order."

"Correct again. Although I cannot imagine why that matters so much to you. You are already one of Helm's chosen. From what I know of your Watcher God he does not bestow his gifts lightly; that seems like more of an accomplishment than any membership in an Order such as that of the Radiant Heart."

"Just know that is does. I would not speak of it more."

"Fair enough, it is your life to live."

"I must admit that you are very perceptive my lady, however I fear you are mistaken on the last one. With my sister gone there is no one left for me to love. I am very much alone in the world and I have no interest in the vapid young ladies that frequent the social circles in Athkatla. I care nothing for fashion and gossip and the other trivialities that fill a young woman's head."

Viconia chuckled deep in her throat and looked up at Anomen. She looked deeply in his eyes and stared for a long moment. Smiling, she broke eye contact and started walking again. Anomen hurried to keep up.

"You really believe that Helmite? Can you be so blind to the wishes of your own heart?"

"I do believe that my lady, for it is the truth."

"Well I can tell that you are falling in love, I see all the signs. Fortunately for you it seems like the lady in question reciprocates your affections."

Anomen furrowed his brow for a second before his eyes opened wide in realization.

"You mean Lady Nalia don't you?"

"Of course I do fool. I see how you look at her. We all see how you look at her. You are both of noble birth, both have suffered loss, both are adrift without family in this world. You are extremely well matched."

"Even if I feel that way about her…."

"You do." Viconia interrupted.

"Even if I feel that way about her it does not matter, for I am sure she would never care for one such as me."

"Are you really that much of a fool Anomen? Insecurity does not suit you. You males are so blind. I see how she looks at you, she lights up when you enter the room. It is only a matter of time before the two of you are together. From what I have seen you are a healthy male specimen and she has noticed the same."

Anomen did not reply but a slight smile was on his face for the remainder of their walk through the district. He slowed down and allowed Viconia to guide them as they continued their stroll. By midmorning they had reached the large wooden arches the indicated the entrance to the Bridge District.

The Bridge District looked much more prosperous and inviting during daylight. Unfortunately, there was a dark side as well even on a bright morning. A dozen soldiers stood at the entrance to the district interviewing people before they could enter. According to their militia lieutenant, a tall man named Agesfield, a series of bloody murders had occurred recently. Each morning there were new victims discovered. The victims were killed at some point during the night and their skin removed for some assuredly vile reason. Anomen wanted to investigate immediately. Viconia was reluctant until the lieutenant mentioned a reward.

Anomen stated that they would be honored to investigate and they set out to search for answers. After a few awkward conversations with merchants and people on the street Anomen was forced to step back and allow Viconia to take the lead. Viconia started to walk amongst the crowds and Anomen marveled as he watched her. She used a mix of bribes, flattery, and intimidation to get people to talk. He watched as she instinctively knew what approach worked on each individual. She flattered the vein, bribed the greedy, and threatened the craven.

"She is quite an impressive woman, isn't she? She can talk her way into or out of anything, trust me for I know of what I speak."

Anomen jumped at the voice to his left and whirled to face the potential threat.

Kretor smiled and took a step back as he held his hands up away from his sides. The young thief was clad in dark brown studded leathers and a matching cloak than hung to mid thigh. He wore polished black boots that came to his knees and wore dark green breeches tucked into his boots. He wore a short sword strapped to his left thigh. Anomen could not help steal a glance at the young man's crippled right hand. Kretor dropped his hands to his sides as he stared up at the larger man.

"My apologies for the shock, good Squire Anomen. I can never resist the opportunity to approach someone unnoticed. With this poor excuse for a right hand I can no longer climb walls or crack safes but I can still move very well."

Anomen scowled briefly before he started to chuckle. He lowered his shield and returned his flail to the hook on his belt.

"You have me quite the start Kretor. Please do not do that to me again for I nearly soiled myself."

"Jokes? I did not expect such a warm reception from you. Seems out of character for a noble squire of the Order when dealing with the likes of me."

Anomen sighed deeply as he eyed the young guild member.

"I know I did not make a good impression when I met your mother, forgive me. I am learning that things are often not as clear cut as they initially appear. While I cannot approve of your profession, or most of your kind, I can appreciate that you and your mother are not without some redeeming qualities."

"You speak with great wisdom Squire Anomen, my mother will be so pleased to know she has redeeming qualities, as am I."

"Mock as you wish, just know I do hope I am learning to see complexity in the world where I did not expect to see it. What brings you out today?"

"The same thing as you I suspect. The guild sent me to investigate the murders here to determine if they are the work of the rival guild that threatens us."

"From what Jeral told me the rival guild leaves no trace of their victims behind. This seems very different for these victims are skinned and their corpses are left behind as a very visible symbol to terrorize others."

"Well regardless of the differences Renal sent me to look into it so here I am. Until I can get more skilled with my left hand I am of limited use so I am happy to have a role to play. Those who cannot earn their keep are cast out so I need to make myself useful in any way possible."

Viconia shook hands with a heavyset man in the crowd and quickly started to walk deeper into the Bridge District. Anomen and Kretor hastened to follow. The pair had reached an unspoken agreement that they would investigate together.

The men watched as Viconia started speaking to streetwalkers loitering in the shadows of the seedier buildings. At this hour of the morning most were still recovering from their efforts the night before. After speaking with a half dozen women, and handing out some gold, Viconia returned to Anomen and Kretor.

If she was surprised to see Kretor there she gave no indication.

"There was apparently a witness to the most recent murder. We are looking for a streetwalker who goes by the name of Rose."

"I know the lass, our mothers were friends years ago. She lives with her mum in a room above the potion master's shop. They are at the far end of the district, follow me."

Kretor set a brisk pace as he strode through the crowds. Despite his short stature he moved quickly and Anomen found himself striding rapidly to keep pace. After a brisk walk the trio arrived at the potion master's shop. The potion master was an elderly gnome and his store was stocked with hundreds of different potions in flasks of different sizes and shapes. Liquids of different colors and viscosity were everywhere as they eyed the impressive looking shop.

"The stairs to the apartments are in the alley. I will pop up and see if Rose is around. You two see if anything strikes your fancy, for these are the best potions in the city. I will be right back."

Kretor quickly walked around the side of the building while the pair entered the shop. Once inside they heard gentle knocking on an upstairs door as Kretor looked for Rose.

"Can I help you two find anything?"

Viconia and Anomen looked down to see a wizened old gnome beaming up at them. He was dressed in colorful purple robes and wore a bandolier of wicked looking darts around his chest. The darts perched precariously on his massive stomach. Unlike most gnomes the one standing before them was clean shaven, save for a large white handlebar mustache that drooped down to the middle of his chest.

Viconia threw her hood back around her shoulders and glared down at the gnome. He gasped and took a step back as he clutched for one of the darts on his bandolier. Anomen quickly stepped forward and placed himself between the pair. Dropping to a knee he looked the gnome in the eye.

"Master gnome, I am Squire Anomen Delryn of the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart and I swear to Helm that Viconia is not a danger to you. She is an outcast from her people."

Looking into the eyes of the earnest young Helmite the gnome relaxed and dropped his hands from his bandolier. Looking from Anomen to Viconia the gnome stroked his mustache absently as he eyed the pair curiously.

"My apologies good drow. I have heard tales of your people and how they have massacred my kind in the underdark. For a moment it was as if the tales from my childhood had come to life in my very own shop. Gave me a bit of a start it did."

"If you knew me in my old life you would be wise to fear me gnome, for we hunted your kin down for our amusement. However, I have left that life behind, so I have no quarrel with you or any of your ilk. In fact, I see a few potions here that strike my fancy. I have recently come into a sizeable amount of coin and am willing to part with much of it this morning."

The gnome smiled at the sight of a potential customer and twisted the ends of his mustache around his fingers.

"Well we cannot do business as strangers, for that would be uncivilized. I am Stenerud Jansen the greatest potions master in Athkatla. It is a pleasure to meet you both. If I do not have the potion you require I can likely brew it for a suitable fee."

"Excellent master gnome. Let us do business."

Anomen paced around the store waiting for Kretor to return. He tried to tune out the sounds of Viconia and Stenerud bickering by the counter. Apparently the pair both lived to haggle because it sounded like they were arguing over minute differences in cost with a passion that seemed better suited for more weighty issues. While the pair threatened each other regularly they never quite came to blows and their transactions were finally completed.

Viconia strode over to Anomen and clapped him genially on the shoulder. As she pulled her hand back she smiled wryly.

"Remind me not to do that again. Plate mail is not something I wish to hit again, even in celebration."

"What are we celebrating Viconia?"

"That gnome apparently is in awe of your precious Order. Even though it is obvious I have nothing to do with a group of paladins and do gooders he gave me the same discount he provides to them. I was able to get a potions case, some strong healing droughts, and a few nastier as well for an exceptional price. All in all this has been a most productive trip, regardless of the outcome of our investigations."

Viconia led the way outside and the pair milled around until Kretor trotted back down the stairs on the side of the building. Wordlessly he headed back towards the middle of the district. Viconia and Anomen flanked the short man as he walked quickly to the tanner's shop. The tanner's shop was a decrepit looking building on the very edge of the bridge. The door opened on the side of the bridge so anyone leaving the shop had a spectacular view of the water. The door to the shop was closed and the sign was not hanging from the post next to the door.

"It looks like the tanner is closed this morning."

Kretor looked at the Helmite and dropped to a knee. He withdrew his lock picks and started working on the door. He struggled and dropped his tools twice as he worked to pick the lock using his undamaged left hand.

"What are you doing?" Anomen hissed, "Are you trying to bring the watch down on our heads?"

Anomen envisioned his expulsion from the Order as he looked around warily for the guards. Fortunately no one came to the far edge of the bridge so Kretor was afforded the time to work on the lock without interruption.

With a quick cry of success Kretor pocketed his tools, stood up, and opened the door to the tanner's shop. Before he could enter Anomen laid a heavy gauntlet on his shoulder and roughly turned him around.

"Before you take another step you must tell us what we are doing, and why? I will not break the law unless there is an exceptionally good reason."

Kretor roughly brushed Anomen's hand off his shoulder and rounded on the Helmite. Viconia smoothly slid between the two men and shook her head.

"Be calm males. Anomen, fighting with Kretor will not get us anywhere, let me handle this. Kretor, the Helmite is right. You do owe us an explanation before we can break into the tanner's shop. Something Rose said led us here, so what did she say?"

"She said she saw him. She said she saw everything."

"Speak clearly male, and quickly."

Kretor took a deep breath and looked from Viconia to Anomen and back again.

"Very well. Rose was very busy yesterday. Lots of men with money to spend. She stayed out later than planned with one last customer. She was leaning up against a wall while the customer did what he paid to do and she saw the tanner slit a man's throat. After the body hit the ground the tanner quickly skinned him on the far side of the bridge. She was too terrified to cry out but she saw everything. Enough people know that she was a witness that her life is likely in danger. I am going into his shop to put a stop to his crimes."

"Did she tell the authorities?"

Viconia and Kretor both shot Anomen withering looks.

"Helmite do not be a simpleton. There is no justice for women like Rose. The authorities would not believe anything she said and if they did it would just put her life at even greater risk."

Kretor gaped open mouthed at Viconia, "That is exactly what Rose said she wanted to tell the authorities but the other girls told her no one would believe her."

Viconia smirked and hefted her war hammer. Kretor drew his short sword with his left hand and led the way into the tanner's shop. Anomen reluctantly readied the Flail of Ages and trailed the pair into the shop.

The stench was overwhelming as they entered the shop. The shop was poorly illuminated from a grimy lantern hanging from a hook on the far side of the room. Hides of a dozen different types on animals were stacked high around the room, others hung from the wall or lay on stretching racks. Dried blood, fur and skinning knives lay strewn across the room. A ladder led to a small loft above the chamber. The shop was quiet and lifeless; there was no sign of the tanner. All in all it looked perfectly ordinary - disgusting and foul - but perfectly ordinary.

"Perhaps he is away right now."

"I do not think so Anomen. If the tanner is the murderer then he was up very late last night. I cannot imagine he would be out and about so early in the day. Remain still while I take a look around."

Kretor sheathed his blade and started slowly looking around the room. He carefully scanned the floor, walls, and ceiling as he did so. In one corner of the room Kretor dropped into a crouch and carefully scanned the floor for a few long moments. He lay down flat on the floor and ran his hands over the grimy floor. Smiling he hopped to his feet and wiped his hands on a white sheepskin on the wall. Trails of dark brown remained when he pulled his hands away.

"There is a trapdoor over here, incredibly well made. In all my years I have never seen anything this good. I almost missed it."

"Can you open it?"

"Course I can open it Anomen. I still got one good hand."

Kretor ran a slim blade around the edges of the door and gently tapped on it. After a few moments he found a small depression and pressed down on it. With a click the entire section of floor rose a couple inches. Kretor wedged his fingers under one side and slowly swung the heavy trap door open as he rose to his feet.

THWAAAAACK!

A large crossbow bolt shot out from the darkness below and buried into the center of Kretor's chest. With a moan the thief fell back onto the floor and lay still. Viconia raced to his side and dropped her hammer and small shield to the ground as she sat down beside him. She held the back of her hand to Kretor's nose for a moment.

"He lives, but just. Come here Helmite, for we will need to do this together if we hope to save his life."

"What about whomever is down there?"

"They will wait, put something heavy on the trap door and come here."

Anomen pushed a heavy pile of furs over the trap door as Viconia chanted a quick incantation. Blue energy washed out of her hands into Kretor.

"That should hold him until we remove the quarrel. Sit him up."

Anomen gently pulled Kretor into a sitting position as Viconia examined the wound.

"I can see the head of the quarrel. It went all the way through. Push it in deeper so I can break off the bolt head."

Anomen quickly complied and the quarrel wetly slid deeper into Kretor's chest. Viconia snapped the head off the quarrel and tossed it across the room.

"Slowly withdraw the bolt."

Anomen slowly started pulling the bolt back out of Kretor's chest. Viconia started chanting as the bolt withdrew from his back and watched as the wound closed in front of her. Once the bolt was all the way out Viconia held Kretor upright while Anomen closed the wound in the front of his chest. Once the entrance and exit wounds were closed they laid him back down on the floor and cast a few more incantations to heal his internal injuries.

The pair rose to their feet as they watched Kretor's chest rise and fall slowly as the color returned to his face. After a few moments he opened his eyes and sat up slowly, rubbing his chest as he did so. Anomen extended a hand and helped him to his feet.

"I thought I was done for."

"You were moments from death; fortunately for you two exceptional healers happened to be in the same room as you when you triggered the trap."

Kretor shook his head grimly.

"That was no trap. I checked and there were no wires or pressure plates anywhere around the door. Anomen, you have my thanks. Viconia, this is twice you have saved my life. I pray I can return the favor at some point."

Viconia picked up her hammer and shield and eyed her companions.

"There is no chance of surprise at this point. Let us make ready and see what awaits us below.

Anomen removed his helmet from his belt and placed it firmly on his head. He then quickly pushed the pile of furs off the trap door and stood ready. Kretor reached down to open the trap door again. As he slowly pulled it open Anomen slid his shield in front of the lightly armored thief.

KLANG!

A crossbow bolt shot out of the darkness and noisily struck Anomen's shield. It did not penetrate the heavy oaken shield and bounced harmlessly to the side.

Anomen muttered a quick incantation and the room was immediately bathed in a while cleansing light.

"For Helm!"

Anomen bellowed loudly and dropped through the open trapdoor into the unknown.

"Halt fiend!"

Anomen bellowed again and then Viconia and Kretor heard a loud crash as metal tore into armor, flesh and bone. They heard the sound of Anomen's flail hitting the floor an instant before he did.

Feeling an unexpected rage building in her chest Viconia pushed Kretor to the side, tightened the grip on her war hammer and dropped through the trap door. As she landed she dropped to a knee and took in the scene in front of her. Anomen was lying prone on the ground with a greasy looking man standing over him with a skinning knife. Anomen's left leg was caught in a massive metal bear trap and blood poured from the rents in his armor. The greasy man was struggling to remove the strap from Anomen's helmet so he could remove it from his head.

Unwilling to spare the time for a proper swing Viconia punched out with her war hammer and caught the tanner a glancing blow in the shoulder. The knife dropped out if his hand and he nimbly rolled away. As he rose to his feet he sneered and pulled a pair of knives out of his heavy leather blood stained apron.

Viconia rose to her feet and stepped over Anomen, placing herself between the fallen Helmite and the tanner. She assumed a defensive stance and twirled her war hammer menacingly.

The tanner licked his lips in expectation.

"I have never worked with skin like yours before, never, never. I think it would make a lovely set of under things for me. Would you like to be that close to me and my naughty bits forever my dear?"

Viconia scowled and started towards the man as he skipped backwards away from her. Viconia paused mid-stride as she noticed that the tanner was stepping gingerly and in a clearly rehearsed pattern. Sensing danger Viconia stopped moving and watched the man carefully.

Unnoticed, Kretor dropped through the trapdoor and landed on the floor next to Anomen. The instant he landed he flung a knife at the tanner. It struck him in the stomach but barely penetrated his heavy leather apron.

"Fools, you will not distract me from my work. Follow if you dare!"

Pulling Kretor's blade from his stomach he dropped it to the ground and disappeared through yet another trap door and he descended to a lower, yet unseen level.

"Be still Kretor, this room is definitely heavily trapped."

Kretor nodded, dropped to the ground, and carefully scanned the room for a few moments while Viconia and Anomen tended to the Helmite's wounds. Once he completed his scan he started scuttling around the room pocking and prodding various spots on the floor. Viconia forced the bear trap open and Amomen pulled his mangled leg out of the trap. Working together the pair removed the metal greave from his lower leg and pulled the shards of metal out of his flesh. The trap had chewed deeply into his leg and the shin bone was visibly shattered.

Viconia cast a few minor healing spells that staunched the bleeding and eased the pain. Once stabilized, Anomen exhausted his own powers reassembling his shin and healing the torn muscles and flesh. When the pair was complete Amomen's lower leg was whole again. But it was a patchwork of pale pink flesh and tan healthy skin. Anomen unsteadily rose to his feet and favored the leg as he took a tentative step.

"I can walk but I will need assistance less I lose my balance."

Kretor crossed the room and handed Anomen a fine staff made of highly polished cedar.

"Must have come from one of his victims, I cannot imagine this one using something like this. It is safe to walk around the room now. There are 5 more of those bear traps hidden around the room. Nasty stuff those, looks like powerful enchantments caused them to look like part of the floor."

Anomen strapped his shield to his back, hung his flail on his belt and grasped the staff with both hands. He managed a few tentative steps without losing his balance and pronounced himself ready to proceed.

"Hold male. Before we proceed let us search this room more thoroughly."

"But the tanner will escape."

"He has a sufficient lead that he is likely gone already. Let us see if we can find anything useful."

The trio paused to take in the room for the first time. It was a small windowless room below the tanner shop. The room looked like a combination of a living chamber and secret workspace. A small bed was in the far corner next to a stand up bureau. A work table was on the opposite wall from the bed. Piles of dried skin and hair were strewn around the table and the entire piece of furniture was encrusted with dried blood.

Kretor and Viconia slowly made their way around the room picking through the bureau and the bed. She found a handful of potions and scrolls and placed them in her bag for later examination. Kretor knelt down and looked under the bed. Slowly, carefully, he pulled a tunic made out from under one of the beds. It looked almost like a night shirt made of patches of many different fabrics, although the patches were not fabrics at all. With a second glance it was clear that the tunic was made out of patches of skin from dozens of different people. Blood and tissue still clung to spots on the tunic where the tanner had not finished his work.

Kretor held it at arm's length and appeared to pale a bit at the horror in front of him.

"I have seen many dark things in my travels. More than I had ever hoped, but this is a new darkness." His voice was shaky as she struggled to regain his composure.

Overcome by the evil displayed before his eyes Anomen limped off to vomit in the corner while Viconia closely inspected the tunic. She ran her hands over the tunic and examined the stitching closely.

"I am impressed, this is fine work. Dark magics can make enchanted armor from human skin that is worn by the darkest of mages and assassins. This has yet to be enchanted but the craftsmanship is excellent. With a proper necromancer this could be a very powerful suit of armor."

"Vile creature, how dare you say such blasphemy!" Anomen roared as he wiped vomit from his face.

"Wipe the vomit from your beard Helmite. I am merely stating that tremendous skill is involved here. That does not mean I approve or disapprove."

Stunned and shamed into silence Anomen limped across the room to stand before the trap door heading down. He removed his shield from his back and held it out as Kretor carefully opened the trap door.

Bright light flooded up from the opening as did the smell of damp rotting wood. The party could hear water lapping against the structure below.

"Well hurry up please; I would like to finish you off before too much longer. My lunch awaits."

The voice was high pitched and spoke common with a heavy foreign accent that clipped the end of each individual word.

Viconia started to rummage through her potions pouch as she smiled at Kretor and Anomen.

Whispering, she pulled a large flask of a bubbling yellow fluid from her pouch. It was one of the potions she purchased from Stenerud that morning.

"Make ready. When I give the signal we will attack."

She hurled the flask down through the opening, it shattered against something below and the trio rocked back as a massive fireball roared through the chamber under their feet. A wave of flames roared up through the trap door scorching the ceiling.

Chuckling, Viconia adjusted her war hammer and small shield and dropped through the trap door.

Kretor drew his short sword and quickly followed her through the trap door.

Anomen was not as quick as the other two. He secured his shield to his back and then gingerly made his way down the ladder into the chamber below. As he reached the end of the ladder he quickly took in the chaotic scene around him.

Viconia's potion had clearly thrown a well planned ambush into chaos. Anomen stood on the side of a large square wooden platform. Bridge pilings were evenly spaced across the platform and all sides were open to the river. The tanner was on the far side of the room hurriedly getting into a boat. The trio watched helplessly as he started to paddle off into the darkness.

A mage stood in the center of the room flanked by two ghouls and two assassins clad in black leathers. He was struggling to put the fire out on one sleeve as he swore violently at Viconia. The ghouls whimpered and the scorch marks on their flesh showed they suffered badly from the flames.

The mage shouted at the intruders, all pretence of good humor gone.

"Fools! No one can be allowed to interfere with what this man, this gifted artisan, is doing. You cannot be allowed to live!"

The undead creatures shambled forward while the assassins drew matched pairs of fighting knives and sprinted to flank the group.

Viconia raced forward across the platform and nimbly avoided the clumsy attacks of the ghouls as she charged the mage.

She reached the mage just as he was preparing a spell. He screamed in a strikingly high pitched voice as Viconia's war hammer caved in the side of his head and he dropped to the floor dead.

"Look behind you drow!"

Anomen's shouted warning reached her ears only an instant before the assassin's blades sliced into her.

The drow pivoted, dropped to a knee and raised her shield all in one fluid motion. Her attacker's blades glanced off the shield and she rolled to the side to find space to regain her feet.

The second assassin had reached Kretor and was slowly pushing the man backwards. He was parrying the attacks fiercely but he was fighting with his off hand and was not yet proficient with it. His attacker managed to get inside his guard and land a few minor blows but Kretor was preventing the man from doing and significant damage.

With the death of their master, the ghouls stood in the middle of the room looking confused for an instant before they started shambling towards Kretor. Solely focused on defending against his duel wielding opponent Kretor was unknowingly backing himself into the waiting pair of ghouls.

Anomen dropped his staff, grasped the holy symbol on his necklace and started chanting. As he called for Helm's favor, his words slowly gained in volume and intensity as he repeated them time and time again. His entire being started to glow, dimly at first and then increasingly bright. Soon white cleansing light flooded the platform as it radiated out from Anomen's body. The ghouls howled in pain as they started to dissolve under the harsh glare of Helm's channeled power. With a final chanted verse the ghouls burst into flame and were reduced to small piles of ash within seconds.

Anomen sagged back against the ladder as the divine power left his body. His leg ached as he sucked in air greedily and struggled to remain upright. The light faded from the room until only the flickering torchlight remained.

The assassin facing Kretor paused as he watched the ghouls burst into flame. With the mage and the undead beasts down their odds looked much worse. Shouting to his companion he pivoted on his heel and dove off the side of the platform. He started to swim away with strong confident strokes. The man facing Viconia quickly joined his companions.

The trio watched the swim away as they caught their breath. They all realized that they were lucky to be alive for attacking a more numerous enemy on ground of their own choosing rarely ended well. After a cursory search of the platform yielded up an odd short bow without a bow string the party departed in search of the militia Lieutenant.

Lieutenant Aegisfield was surprised that the murderer had been located so quickly.

"Praise Torm. We have been searching for the murderer for some time. How did you know it was him? I have interviewed the tanner Rejiek numerous times and never had reason to suspect him of anything. He is an upstanding citizen and a leading merchant in the city."

Kretor faced the officer and shook his shoulders. "We found an eye witness to the most recent attack."

"You must mean the streetwalker named Rose. Those rumors reached my ears as well. I was unable to find the woman but I could not consider the word of filth like that of any use."

Viconia quietly tossed the skin tunic at the Lieutenant. He caught it, realized what it was and quickly dropped it on the ground. Furiously wiping his hands on his clothes he unsteadily asked,

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Yes it is. We found this in the home of your upstanding citizen. It looks like much of the missing skin to me." Viconia dryly replied.

"That piece of filth led us to him, she risked her life to tell us the truth. You will find all the evidence you need in his shop, although this skin should be more than enough."

The Lieutenant recovered his composure quickly.

"I must thank you for your efforts. I have been working on this case for weeks and made little progress while you three have identified and confronted the monster in less than a day. I will notify my superiors as to your assistance, they will be most grateful. Here is a small reward. We are in your debt. We will search for the tanner everywhere for he must be found and brought to justice. "

"We are always on the side of Justice," Anomen replied as he took the offered pouch of coin.

"Happy to help." Kretor added.

Viconia rolled her eyes at both statements but managed to remain silent as she took in the scene before her from beneath the hood of her cloak.


	12. Survival and soliloquies

_This is a chapter heavy on Viconia's backstory. It also lines up a few more quests for the party. Lest you think it is all talk there is a fight in the sewers to liven things up._

Chapter 12: Survival and soliloquies

"So while you layabouts spent the day recovering Viconia, Kretor and I solved the skinner murders."

Anomen beamed with pride as he looked around the table at Nalia, Minsc and Viconia. Unlike the prior morning everyone looked wide awake and in excellent health.

"You are heroes of goodness! Minsc is sorry that he was not there, Boo and Minsc hate to miss a fight with evil."

"Minsc, I would not worry. You have traveled with Jeral longer than I have but he seems to draw evil too him like a flame draws moths. You will have another chance and very soon I would imagine."

Minsc nodded vigorously as he beamed at Nalia.

"Little mage speaks wisely, Jeral is a force of goodness."

"Speaking of our 'force of goodness' where is Jeral this morning?"

Viconia had not seen Jeral in the common room at all during the morning meal.

"While I was polishing my armor this morning I saw him and Yoshimo heading to the sparring pits this morning to practice. That was some time ago, they should join us presently."

"Ahhhhhhh young squire, I hear my name mentioned and so I appear."

The group turned and watched as Yoshimo approached the table. He was moving slowly and favoring his left leg as he limped to the table. As he sat down at the table Nalia sucked in her breath as she looked at Yoshimo's bruised and battered face.

"What happened to you? Were you attacked?"

"Fear not Lady Nalia, I shall survive. Although I think I will no longer spar with Jeral, for his skills have clearly surpassed mine."

"Jeral did that"

"Our sparring got, shall we say, heated. I am fortunate that we used padded practice weapons, else I may not have lived to enjoy a fine meal this morning."

Jeral quietly strode over to the table and sat down. He looked distraught as he eyed Yoshimo.

"I am so sorry, friend."

Yoshimo wearily waved a hand dismissively.

"Fear not Jeral. I am impressed how rapidly your skills have improved. When we first met we were evenly matched, now I concede that you are the better man with a blade. I would humbly suggest that you spar with Hendak, or Anomen, or even Minsc in the future."

"You speak wisely my friend; although I shall miss out time together."

"As will I Jeral but I will not miss the bruises."

"Yoshimo, may I tend to your injuries?" Anomen inquired politely.

"Thank you for the offer good Squire but I shall respectfully decline. I have meant to visit the Temple of Ilmater for some time and light a candle for my sister. They can tend to me while I am there. It gives me a reason to donate some coin as well. Jeral, with your permission I would like to take today for myself."

"Of course friend, and my apologies once again. Shall we see you at dinner?"

"Of course."

Yoshimo nodded to the group, slowly rose from the table, and shuffled out of the tavern.

"Jeral, I perform my morning exercises and weapons drill every morning before the dawn. I would welcome the company any morning you wish to join me."

"Minsc too would welcome the opportunity to match blades with Jeral in friendly practice."

"I thank you both, I would welcome the opportunity."

The group decided to run errands and avoid any significant adventures for the day. Without Yoshimo scouting for them anything too dangerous seemed unwise. Anomen departed to check in with the Order and see if the armorer there could fashion a new greave for his plate mail. He felt a little awkward walking around in a full suit of plate mail with his lower left leg exposed.

Minsc remained in the tavern to spar with Hendak and some of the tavern guards. As former gladiators they all practiced daily to keep their skills proficient. They were all experienced gladiators and more than a match for most. Hendak joked that his was the most secure tavern in all of Athkatla. He was determined that should the slavers retaliate they would not find an easy victim in the Copper Coronet.

Viconia still needed a new helmet and Jeral and Nalia wanted to shop for magical scrolls so the trio decided to head to the Waukeen's Promenade after Jeral took a quick bath. While bathing Jeral left his armor in the hands of the staff for a long overdue cleaning. Not anticipating any trouble Viconia also left her armor behind as they made their preparations for the day. The trio departed the Copper Coronet and leisurely strolled to the shopping district. The morning crowds were bustling with energy as merchants hawked their wares with impressive enthusiasm.

"Viconia, may I ask you a question?"

"You just did Nalia."

Blushing, Nalia shook her head and doggedly continued. "No, what I mean to ask is what happened to the reward?"

"The reward?" Viconia asked innocently.

"Yes the reward for solving the skinner murders. It was widely announced that a reward was offered for evidence leading to the resolution of the crimes. You and the others clearly solved the mystery yesterday but neither you nor Squire Anomen has made any mention of a reward."

"Are you implying we kept it for ourselves?"

"No, not at all, please do not take offense Viconia. I know we are in need to coin to rescue Jeral's sister so I wonder what happened to it."

Viconia sighed and mumbled something inaudible under her breath.

"What was that?"

Sighing heavily Viconia spoke louder so Jeral and Nalia could both hear her.

"We gave the reward to the witness who led us to the tanner."

"You gave the money to that streetwalker? Why would you give that money to a common whore?"

Nalia's indignation was evident in her tone, clearly she did not approve of that decision.

"For one who speaks of compassion and caring for the people who worked her land why the harsh words in this case?"

"Well this is just different Viconia. Women like this one are just, just, well they are just deficient in some way. They have to be. Otherwise they would not lead the lives they do."

Viconia eyed Nalia coldly. "You really are a sheltered child aren't you?"

"I am not! I have been through much as you well know!"

"Well then know this child. When one is without options they do whatever they have to do to survive. Men often hire out as laborers or body guards or turn to a life of crime. For women there is one thing they have that can always bring in coin, and that is their body."

"But why would anyone do such a thing?"

"When the alternative is death then the decision gets much easier. I have allowed men to use me for their pleasure at times in order to gain their protection, food and shelter."

"WHAT?"

Nalia and Jeral both gaped at Viconia.

"I fail to see what is so shocking in that statement. Since the beginning of time women do what they must to survive in this world."

"But you are a priestess of Shar with incredible powers. Why would you have to do such a thing?"

"Nalia, you are a persistent little thing. I will give you that."

Viconia walked on in silence for a few long moments as she debated saying more or not. Shaking her head she abruptly turned and led the trio into a nearby tavern. At this early hour the common room was deserted. She selected a table in the corner, ordered a bottle of wine with three glasses, and instructed the serving maid to ensure they were not disturbed. Jeral poured them each a glass of wine and Viconia drained her glass before she spoke.

"When I fled from House DeVir Lloth cast me out for my treason. In an instant I lost my all of my powers. On my way to the surface I used every trick I could to stay alive. I departed with many powerful magical items from my house and a tremendous amount of coin. By the time I reached the surface weeks later every one of the magical items was exhausted, lost, or destroyed. I spent almost every coin I had on bribes, supplies, and guards as I made my way to the surface. I emerged into your accursed sunlight and my armor disintegrated right off my body. My weapons and shield also crumbled into dust. Drow metal is incredibly light and strong and it gives us a significant advantage in battle. However it cannot survive the light of your sun. I was not aware of that face before I departed. I was left with nothing more than my clothes, my cloak, an empty water skin, and a handful of coins in my purse."

"That first night under the stars I, Viconia of House DeVir, cried myself to sleep. I have cried only twice in my life so that should indicate how desperate I was. For weeks I lived like an animal. Unused to your wildlife and nature I searched for mushrooms, for we have many underground. After painful trial and error I learned which ones were edible and which ones would make me ill for days. Each day I struggled forward, I had no plan beyond just survive until the next day. I was tired, I was starving to death, I was filthy. I knew I had to find food – real food - and safety soon else I would die. One day I stumbled across a road. I hid in the bushes and watched as travelers passed by. I had never seen your animals before so your horses and oxen looked like fearsome beasts to me."

"After watching for hours I saw a large caravan roll by. It had dozens of guards and merchants and their leader was a fat loathsome creature riding in an ornate gold encrusted carriage. He was a man accustomed to giving orders and his rule over the caravan was absolute. I waited until the carriage was passing my hiding spot and I emerged from the bushes. I dropped to my knees and begged the caravan master for mercy. A pair of his guards quickly grabbed me and threw back my hood. Seeing my dark skin they had a blade at my throat and looked to him for permission to kill me."

Nalia and Jeral stared open mouthed as Viconia continued with her tale.

"I knew I had seconds to make a case for my life. I could have appealed to his generosity, or his chivalry, but I was unwilling to risk my life on man's generous nature. I made the wiser choice. I appealed to man's basic nature, I appealed to his lust."

Nalia stared at Viconia while Jeral looked down at his glass on the table.

"The drow are legendary for their knowledge of the carnal pleasures. Books on our bedroom activities are highly treasured by collectors - and young boys - across the realms. I offered myself to the caravan master and said that should he allow me five minutes in his carriage he would not regret his decision. His curiosity and lust did not completely override his common sense or caution. He had me thoroughly searched and instructed his guards to bind my hands behind my back. They tossed me in his carriage and he drew the curtains."

"Then what happened?"

Smiling coldly Viconia started at Jeral and Nalia in turn.

"Within a few moments I had him swearing his undying devotion to me. He named me his mistress and outfitted me with the finest clothes. In the weeks that followed I recovered my strength as I tasted the finest surfacer delicacies. Every night I lay down to sleep in silks and goose down pillows. I bathed in hot water every day and was afforded books to read to exercise my mind and learn about the surface world. After a few weeks he provided me with weapons and armor and allowed me to train with his guards whenever I wished. In exchange for all of that, I shared his bed every night and fulfilled his every perverted fantasy."

"That is horrible, what an awful man!"

"Nalia, we all do what we have to do to survive. If it were not for him I would be dead in the woods. His needs were not excessive and he was not terribly vigorous. It took me very little effort to keep him satisfied. During my time with him I regained my strength and my confidence. I learned where I was in the world and studied the maps of the caravan routes he had. During that time I discovered Shar and she Lady of Loss took me into her embrace. I owe Dhosen dox Rolian much. He was not a bad man."

"Was?"

Jeral spoke only the one word as he started at Viconia with sad eyes.

Sighing deeply Viconia shook her head and smiled wryly.

"I made an unfortunate error in judgment. One night I was determined to see to my own pleasure for once and not just his. I made a small request and he eagerly agreed to try and pleasure me; unfortunately he did not survive the attempt."

"He died?" Nalia asked breathlessly as she fanned herself with her napkin.

"Sadly, yes Nalia. He died. But I can assure you he died very, very, happy. When the guards discovered he was dead they accused me of witchcraft. I killed a few of them and escaped into the woods. A few weeks later I stumbled across Jeral and his friends south of Baldur's Gate."

"I had no idea you have been through so much."

Viconia waved away Nalia's concerns with a flick of her wrist.

"Child, that is nothing. I have experienced far, far, worse in my life. I told you this tale not to gain your pity, but to explain why I gave the reward to Rose. I do not look down on her for the choice she made. I respect her for having the strength to do what she needs to do to fight to survive. I respect survivors, I respect those who will scratch and claw and do what is needed to stay alive. But enough of my reminiscing, I have a helmet to purchase. "

Viconia tossed a few coins on the table and departed the tavern with Jeral and Nalia trailing behind her.

After Viconia's tale of woe the trio walked in silence for some time. Viconia purchased a new open faced helmet from the Adventurer's Mart. After that the trio explored the magic shops and Nalia purchased three scroll cases, and a handful of scrolls. Jeral and Nalia each took a scroll case while Jeral held the third for Imoen. Every time he found a spell scroll that he thought she might enjoy he stuffed it into her scroll case. He felt a pang of envy when he realized that Nalia and Imoen both had far more arcane ability than he ever would. Shaking off the self pity he forced himself to finish shopping.

As the trio left the shop Nalia placed herself between Jeral and Viconia and linked her arms in theirs. She briskly started walking through the promenade with a sense of purpose. Viconia and Jeral allowed themselves to be led along by the young noble, each lost in their own thoughts. Nalia led the pair through the city and into the Bridge District. After a short while on the bridge she led them to the door of a tavern and stopped.

Jeral eyed the sign in front of the tavern. Five large mugs were affixed to a large wooden sign. The mugs were made of copper, silver, electrum, gold, and platinum. The sign shook Jeral out of his introspection as he looked at Nalia.

"Nalia, you have got to be kidding. I spent all day yesterday recovering from a hangover, as did you. How can you possibly consider us spending the afternoon drinking?"

"I could not handle another afternoon of drinking either Jeral. You misunderstand me. This is the Five Flagons Inn. It is one of the finest taverns in the city, but that is not why we are here. The inn also is home to a theatre in the basement. I think we all need a little entertainment to lift our spirits. So follow me, my family was a significant patron to the theatre so I can always get excellent seats. The midday show should be starting in moments.

Nalia turned on her heel and entered the tavern. Viconia and Jeral shared a look before they followed the mage into the tavern. As they entered the common room of the tavern then both stood frozen in place as they took in the scene before them. The entire staff of the inn, every last one of them, they were all halflings. There were haflings of every age and shape and size. Jeral saw hairfeet, stouts and tallfellows all represented in the halflings present before his eyes. Halfling bartenders, halfling cooks and halfling serving girls. There were even four very tough looking Halflings wearing studded leather jerkins that were the security for the inn. Most shocking of all was the pair of halfling prostitutes that worked the main room. There were a set of stairs to the side of each table that allowed the halfling servers access to the tables to serve the patrons. The inn was crowded with many families and groups sitting down for the Midday meal. Most of the patrons were human but there were a few half elves, gnomes and halflings sprinkled among the patrons. All in all it was a bright, cheerful peaceful and prosperous inn.

The owner came from behind the bar to welcome the group and embraced Nalia like a long lost daughter. He was an older, heavyset halfling named Samuel. He bragged that he had the best collection of libations in the Realms. Finding it hard to refuse the group ordered a three glasses of watered wine and headed downstairs to attend the play. Their timing was perfect, for it was about to begin in the basement theatre. Settling into heavily padded seats in the second row the trio sat down as the lights dimmed and the play began. It was a romance loosely based on the works on the playwright Dionaa. Jeral recalled her works from his studies back in Candlekeep and realized that they would have been better off sticking with the original, for the changes made by the playwright were not improvements on the timeless original.

Most of the cast members were well trained professionals; however one of the actors was just terrible. There was no other way to put it. He looked ill at ease on stage, fumbled his lines and had no chemistry with the others on stage. Since he was playing the role of the heroic male lead his poor performance dragged down the whole play. The audience stirred uncomfortably as they watched the play stagger from act to act. Nalia leaned in close and whispered in Jeral's ear.

"I know all the cast regulars, the man playing Kironaldo has to be the understudy as the usual lead is excellent."

Finally, mercifully, the third act drew to a close to a smattering of applause and a larger volume of catcalls and hisses. Viconia muttered something under her breath about how actors should be whipped until their performance improves.

The proprietor of the theatre walked through the curtains. She apologized for the poor quality of the play and asked if there were any of adventuring stock in the audience. After waiting for the remainder of the audience to depart, Jeral, Nalia, and Viconia headed backstage. There the proprietress, Raelis Shai explained that her lead actor, a bard named Haer'Dalis had been kidnapped and was being held by a wizard in the sewers. She was offering a small reward for his safe return. As a patron of the arts Nalia immediately agreed that they would look into it as soon as possible. The trio made their way back to the Copper Coronet and spent the afternoon relaxing and organizing their equipment.

Over dinner the group recounted their experiences of the day. Suddenly there were a significant number of errands demanding the group's attention in the coming days. Anomen was tasked twice by the Temple of Helm. A senior cleric commanded him to gain the services of a noted sculptor for the temple while the High Watcher himself had requested that Anomen and the rest of his companions investigate a new cult that was gaining influence in the city. Nalia shuddered when Anomen mentioned that the members of the cult removed their eyes in fealty to the unknown deity. A senior member of the Order was already investigating in the sewers. Anomen and the others were to aid him in any way possible. Additionally, a young boy from the village of Umar had found Minsc and stated that their village was in need of aid.

All agreed that they would start with the Temple District on the morrow. The Temple District had many entrances to the sewers so the group could start their search for the missing actor while they looked for the eyeless cult. As Jeral trudged upstairs to his room he noted that he had picked a poor day to pay to have his armor cleaned. It would surely need cleaning again on the morrow after spending time in the sewers.

The next day found the group in the Temple District after a hurried breakfast in the Copper Coronet. Everyone ate sparingly, for the thought of descending in the sewers was sufficient to dull every appetite. Even Boo ate less than he usually did. In an alley by the Temple of Talos the group located a large sewer grate. While not illegal to enter the sewers they did not want an audience while entering the sewers, so selecting an out of the way location made sense. Working together, Minsc and Anomen lifted back the heavy iron bound grate that marked the entrance to the sewers. A wave of foul and humid air wafted out from the sewers causing all save Viconia to recoil in disgust.

"Well this is not going to be fun," Jeral groused.

"I just threw up a little in my mouth," Nalia moaned.

"You weak willed surfacers are just pathetic." Viconia hissed. Shaking her head in disgust she hefted her war hammer and jumped down into the sewer. A small splash could be heard below. Shamed into action, Jeral led the way down the ladder that descended little more than 10 feet below the street. Once everyone was down Nalia created two magical globes of light and floated them around the party.

"Those lights will alert everyone below to our presence. Yoshimo and I can scout ahead. I will follow behind him and be his eyes. The rest of you stay here and try to be quiet."

Nodding in agreement, Yoshimo led off, followed by Viconia. The two silently moved forward, or as silently as one could while moving through ankle deep filth. They came to a junction where they could continue on forward or turn to the right. Yoshimo slowly moved down the right hand passage. He had traveled no more than fifty feet when Viconia whispered for them to halt. Yoshimo slowly moved back to stand next to Viconia. She leaned in and whispered in his ear.

"There are half a dozen men ahead; two dwarves and four humans. I think they have at least one mage and one cleric amongst their ranks. They are heavily armed, but not too alert. They are probably bandits looking to ambush the unwary."

"Could one of them be the paladin from the Order Squire Anomen mentioned from the temple?"

"How can a bounty hunter possibly be so simple Yoshimo? They mentioned one paladin, not six. I doubt they are here to aid us in any way."

"But laying in wait down here? This is an idiotic place to wait in ambush."

"I never said you surfacers were smart. But who are the greater idiots, the ones who place an ambush here, or those who walk into it?"

"You may have a point there Viconia. The good news is that I have something that should help."

Smiling Yoshimo started laying traps on the ground starting where they were standing and working back towards their friends. In all he laid down five traps in the muck and mire on the floor of the sewer.

After returning to a group they quickly settled on a plan of attack.

Jeral stood next to Yoshimo as the bounty hunter pointed out where he had placed his traps. They were well made and expertly concealed, but once Yoshimo pointed them out Jeral easily located each of them and plotted a path around them.

"Viconia, can you summon a few skeletons here to accompany me on my stroll?"

She nodded and in seconds a pair of skeletons appeared at Jeral's side.

"Nalia, can you have one of your mage lights follow me as well please?" She nodded in the affirmative and one of her light green mage lights soon hovered a few feet away from his head.

"I am going to see what they want. Make yourselves ready. If they are friends I will come back and get you. If they are enemies I will be racing back to you looking for aid. Have the skeletons follow me so they can keep them occupied if I need to leave in a hurry."

Jeral sheathed his blades and pulled his pouch of caltrops out of his small pack. Loosening the openings of the pouch he headed back down the tunnel. Whistling a marching song he learned back in Candlekeep Jeral leisurely walked down the tunnel making no effort at stealth. He caught the sound of men moving ahead and saw a heavily armed dwarf appear out of the darkness. The dwarf was carrying a wicked looking hand axe and was clad in finely made full plate, with a spiked open face helm and a large shield. His long brown beard was divided into three long braids and each was capped with silver at the end. He placed himself a few paces in front of Jeral and stopped. His hand axe bounced up and down in his shoulder as dwarf appeared coiled and ready to strike in an instant.

"What have we here? Someone must be lost. Speak quickly lad. What brings you to this fine place?"

"I am no one of note. I am merely out for a stroll with my friends here," Jeral replied pleasantly indicating the two skeletons.

"Well mister 'no one of note' this is my sewer. My friends and I require a toll of 1,000 gold for any and all who wish to pass. I suggest you pay up, lest we have to hurt you." The dwarf tightened his grip on his hand axe in a way that suggested he preferred violence to gold in any case.

Jeral calmly shifted the bag so he was grasping the bottom of it in his left hand.

"Good master dwarf, I am but a poor sword for hire and have no such funds."

"Yer choice beardless one. Ye to be paying in coin or blood."

"Is that my blood or your blood good dwarf?"

"Har! Ye be a funny one tall fellow. Ye nae be so funny when I be pulling my axe out of your chest."

"Your mother has a face like a goblin's arse!" Jeral cried out as he flung his arm forward.

Dozens of caltrops spilled out of the bag and quietly splashed into the muck in front of the dwarf. The dwarf's face reddened in rage and amazement. A human had just used one of the vilest of all the dwarven curses. Roaring in anger he charged Jeral, and impaled his foot on a pair of the caltrops Jeral had dropped on the floor. Pausing mid charge the dwarf roared in pain and staggered backwards as he struggled to remove the barbed pieces of metal from his foot. Jeral commanded the skeletons to move in to attack as he turned and sprinted back up the tunnel. He felt an arrow whiz by his side and heard the dwarf raging as he regained his composure and hacked the skeletons to pieces.

Jeral smiled as he heard one trap after another tripped by the charging dwarf.

"Get down Jeral!"

Jeral heard Nalia's command and threw himself flat to the floor. As he landed on the floor of the tunnel filth and sewage covered him from head to toe. A fireball raced over his head and exploded amongst the bandits. It was immediately followed by a yellow potion bottle. The bottle shattered and a second ball of fire roared in the tunnel. Shrieks of pain could be heard as their opponents were engulfed in flames, not once but twice in rapid succession. Jeral got to his feet and scrambled back to the party as he tried to get the sewage off his hands and face. Nalia quickly cast a cloudkill spell down the passage and was rewarded with additional cries of pain. The sound of people tripping and falling over one another was clearly audible down the tunnel. The party readied itself and awaited the charge of the bandits.

After a few moments a pair of heavily armored dwarves came charging out of the darkness. Anomen and Minsc stepped forward to intercept them. The armored dwarves were both badly burned and bleeding from numerous wounds as the combination of Nalia's spells, Viconia's potion, and Yoshimo's traps had done their job well. Facing six heavily armed, and unwounded, adventurers the dwarves were quickly dispatched with minimal difficulty.

Viconia stepped forward over the pair of corpses and peered into the darkness.

"Four humans remain. One is clearly a cleric, one a mage, the other two are lightly armed fighters; one with a bow, the other with a pair of short swords. They are all wounded and look unsure as to what they should do."

Smiling Jeral drew his swords.

"Sounds like the perfect time to attack. Nalia and Yoshimo, take out the mage, Viconia and I will take the cleric. Anonem and Minsc, the fighters are yours. Everyone set? Any questions? No? Excellent. For Imoen!"

Jeral cried out as they charged down the passageway.

The battle was an unexpectedly fierce one. Even wounded and outnumbered they were a powerful group. Jeral closed with the cleric but before he could strike the cleric completed a spell and was immediately surrounded by a thick wall of swirling razor sharp blades. Jeral's swords clanged off the whirling blades and he was forced to slowly retreat as the cleric advanced on him. Out of the corner of his eye he watched as Minsc cut the enemy archer cleanly in half. An arrow was sticking out of the shoulder joint in the ranger's armor but the large man seemed unaffected by the wound.

Viconia was casting spell after spell at the cleric but none appeared to affect him. He was grinning evilly as he advanced on Jeral waving a wicked looking flail. His flail swung in over Jeral's sword and crashed into his left shoulder, shattering bone and rending flesh. Grimacing in pain, Jeral dropped his short sword as the arm fell to his side useless. Jeral turned sideways and assumed the Numedian defense. The Numedian fighting style was designed to present the smallest possible target to one's enemy.

With a forward lunge Jeral stabbed out at the cleric with the Blade of Roses. His blade managed to pierce the cleric's protections and cut cleanly through the man's armor, entering deeply into his stomach. The barrier of blades ripped the sword from Jeral's grasp and flung it to the side. The cleric's stomach wound opened wider as the sword was torn to the side. Dark blood and intestines started to pour out of the wound. Jeral backpedaled as the mortally wounded cleric staggered forward, his barrier still whirring wildly around him. Arrows started to rain in on the cleric as Nalia and Yoshimo joined in the attack. One arrow finally buried in his left eye socket. His life force snuffed out, he fell to the ground and the magical barrier disappeared. Jeral turned to survey the others. Minsc was bleeding heavily from his shoulder wound and Nalia had taken an arrow in her thigh.

Anomen and Viconia healed the party while Yoshimo looted the bodies. Smiling Yoshimo created a large pile of loot.

"This was a most profitable skirmish. These bandits were unusually well equipped. We have two sets of dwarf sized enchanted plate mail, various enchanted weapons, shields and helmets. Plus over 5,000 in gold."

"Looks like we were not their first victims," Nalia mused and she leaned on Anomen for support.

The group loaded up the gear and made the long, slow, foul smelling walk to the promenade. Once there they visited the Adventurer's Mart and had Ribald identify all the enchanted items. After selling the majority of the items they had a tremendous amount of coin, far more than they would need to pay Gaylen Bayle. Flush with funds they decided to upgrade equipment where appropriate. They purchased a suit of enchanted full plate for Anomen and a set of powerful protective bracers for Nalia. Jeral also purchased a set of protective bracers for Imoen and placed them deep in his pack next to her scroll case. Viconia took the enchanted small shield from one of the dwarves while Anomen took a helm that protected the mind from enchantments. Minsc took the dwarves' enchanted hand axe and tucked it into his belt.

Ribald wished the group well as they departed his shop. Jeral knew that Ribald stood to make a fortune selling the equipment he purchased from them. The group returned straight to the Copper Coronet and spent the rest of the day bathing and getting the smell of sewage out of their equipment. As good as it felt to get clean the sensation was tempered with the realization that they would return to the sewers yet again on the morn to continue their search for the missing actor and search for the cult.


	13. SSDD

_Lucky chapter 13._

 _Enter Haer'Dalis and a nice chat with Hendak._

 _On an unrelated topic, just saw Deadpool. Excellent movie, far better than I expected._

Chapter 13: SSDD

"Another day another sewer," Jeral mumbled.

"Actually it is the same sewer Jeral. So same sewer, different day would be correct," Nalia brightly chimed in.

Despite the dank conditions she was unusually cheerful. She had rolled up her mage robes to the knees and pinned them in place to keep them out of the muck they steadily trudged through. A brief battle with some kobolds and a rakasha yielded an enchanted cloak that Yoshimo was now wearing. It offered him some protection from attacks and allowed him to polymorph into a troll, rat or mustard jelly at will. Yoshimo was all smiles as he led the way through the tunnels in his new outerwear.

The seemingly directionless wandering through the sewers came to a sudden halt when Viconia noticed a concealed door built into one of the corridors. After long moments of careful inspection Yoshimo located a small indentation and pushed on it. An entire section of the wall slid backwards revealing a narrow flight of stairs upwards. The stairs were well lit with a dozen torches lining the stairwell. Yoshimo took the lead, katana in hand, as they cautiously ascended the stairs. The stairs spiraled upwards for thirty or forty feet and ended in a surprisingly comfortable looking sitting room. Before the group could explore the chamber a swarm of mephits appeared out of various hallways on the sides of the room and attacked the party.

 _I hate mephitis,_ Jeral thought as he slashed another one of the winged lizard creatures with his swords. They were not individually tough but their numbers and flame breath attacks ensured that everyone was wounded by the time all of the mephitis were killed. Anomen and Viconia spent a few minutes treating burns and healing the party before they were all ready to move out. Yoshimo led them down a side passage and soon came face to face with an elderly mage. He was nearly as tall as Minsc, although he was fat where Minsc was solid. He wore opulent black mage robes of the finest satin and the robes struggled to contain his massive bulk. He was sweating heavily and eyed the group with narrow set eyes that radiated anger. He sneered at their approach.

"Who dares enter the home of Merkath the magnificent?"

Jeral moved to stand in front of Yoshimo and bowed slightly.

"Good morning O mighty one. We are looking for a performer by the name of Haer'Dalis."

"Get your facts straight boy. He is no performer, he is a thief. He stole something that belonged to me and he will be punished; severely punished. Begone, before I lose my temper. I have no time for rabble such as you."

"I apologize for the intrusion O'magnificent one. Regardless, I fear that I must insist that you turn him over to us. You see, I watched a play the other day and it was absolute rubbish because they lacked their lead actor. As a patron of the arts I must do what I can, for the show must go on. Perhaps we can come to some agreement and compensate you for your loss?"

"You dare presume to negotiate with me? With me! Foolish child, you should not involve yourself with your betters. You and your friends will die today."

With that ominous statement he started to cast a spell. Before anyone could react a shield of crackling blue energy appeared around the obese mage.

Yoshimo and Nalia fired arrow after arrow at the mage to no effect while Minsc, Jeral and Anomen struck ineffectively at the mage. Nothing they did could penetrate his magical protections. Laughing at his opponent's impotence Merkath cast another spell and half a dozen skeletons appeared, crawling from the very ground. Before the necromancer could command the skeletons the clerics stepped in to overpower his command of the creatures. Viconia and Anomen called upon their respective patrons to aid them against the undead creatures standing before them. Four of the skeletons shattered into dust under Anomen's command while the remaining pair to Viconia's will and started to attack Merkath.

The skeletons, unaffected by Merkath's magical protections, started to stab him with their daggers. He started to shriek in pain as the two skeletons continued to attack him. The party stood back and watched transfixed as the pair of skeletons steadily cut the obese mage down tearing out great chunks of flesh with every slice. Once the mage was dead Minsc and Anomen shattered the defenseless skeletons and their bones fell to the floor.

Yoshimo quickly checked the room for traps and then the group searched the room for anything of value. Nalia found a light grey rod and a dark blue wand in Merkath's robes. She stashed both in her robes for later examination. Finding nothing else of value or interest the group headed back to the central room to continue their search for the missing actor.

They saw a very handsome man emerge from the shadows. He was shaking his head and walking unsteadily as if he just woken up from a dream. The group started at him in awe for he looked like nothing they had ever seen. He was half elven in appearance with long pointed ears but his skin had an odd purple tint to it. His hair fell past his shoulders and was sky blue. His ears were each pierced with a half dozen golden rings while he had another gold ring that pierced the bridge of his nose. Despite the unusual facial jewelry and unique coloring the man was still strikingly handsome. He was clad in loud colors made from expensive fabrics. Bright red pants and vest, dark green shirt and highly polished black boots gave the man a festive air. Despite his attire he was clearly capable of defending himself for he wore a pair of short swords strapped on his legs.

"Ahhhhhhhh my head clears. My captor and tormentor is no longer of this planet. How delightful."

He gave an elaborate sweeping bow.

"My name is Haer'Dalis, bard and thespian extraordinaire. I must thank you for granting my release. I am particularly grateful for my freedom at the hands of you two fair maidens. Perhaps I may thank you beauties more properly later. Individually or together, whatever you prefer is fine by me."

The last comment made Nalia blush while Viconia and Anomen both scowled. Paying no attention to Viconia and the jealous Helmite Haer'Dalis continued speaking.

"While I am grateful for my release from Merkath's bondage there is more I pray you must do. There is a great gem within this home that I must beg you to acquire. Getting that gem is critical to the lives of me and my companions. I cannot emphasize that enough. Please help me recover it."

Jeral nodded and smiled at their new companion.

"Very well, lead on and we shall endeavor to locate it together."

Smiling Haer'Dalis spun around with a flourish, dramatically drew his short swords, and headed off into the unexplored wing of the complex. Shaking his head in amusement Jeral and the others followed. They rounded a corner and found Haer'Dalis in a battle with three Yuan Ti. He was weaving in and around the snake men and stabbing and cutting with his short swords to great effect. He had already taken a few minor wounds but showed no ill effects from their attacks.

 _Well he may be overly dramatic, and annoying, but he does know how to fight,_ Jeral thought as they charged in to support him. After a short but vicious fight the three snake men were in bloody heaps on the ground. Viconia moved forward to heal the bard of his worst wounds. An audible crack was followed by a pained cry and a second crack as Viconia snapped two fingers on the bard's left hand and drove the man to his knees.

"Know this singer of songs," Viconia sneered.

"I am drow. I am female. I am superior to you on many different levels. I do not like anyone touching me without my permission. And you most certainly do not have my permission. I will heal your wounds from battle but the fingers I will not fix; and neither will the Helmite if he knows what is good for him. You are not worthy to partake of my dark pleasures."

Haer'Dalis rubbed his broken fingers and nodded ruefully.

"Very well my dark raven. Clearly this sparrow is not of your liking and will not repeat the attempt. Consider my wings clipped."

"Good," Viconia replied as she squeezed his broken fingers and the bard whimpered in protest.

Viconia stalked off down the corridor and the others hastened to follow. Jeral lingered at the back and helped Haer'Dalis to his feet.

"Don't feel too bad my friend. She broke three of my fingers one for a similar indiscretion."

Haer'Dalis smiled broadly at the news.

"Ahh my head spins with wonder. So that means that she may in the end yield to my charms?"

Jeral chuckled and patted the man gently on the side of his face.

"Silly man, you misunderstand me. If you try anything out of line with Viconia she will not be the worst of your worries."

"What could possibly be worse than that dark beauty in a rage?"

Smiling darkly Jeral just said one word before stalking away.

"Me."

The smiled disappeared from the man's face as he watched Jeral stalk away.

The group continued into a small chapel that was covered with engravings of death and suffering. The entire room radiated evil and despair. Jeral shuddered as he entered the chapel.

"This mage worships the darkest Gods in the pantheon. Despite the questionable circumstances the city is better off without him."

Anomen pulled out his holy symbol and a vial of holy water and started praying as he worked to cleanse the room of its unholy taint. Within moments the room felt less intimidating and the entire group seemed more at ease.

Sitting on the altar was a large green gem and a jewel encrusted harp. Yoshimo probed ahead and located a number of complex traps. Working together with Nalia the pair disabled all of them; it was slow going but they did not make any mistakes and the way to the altar was clear. Smiling in triumph Yoshimo picked up the gem and the harp. He handed over the gem and the harp to Jeral who turned to look at the group.

"Back to the Coronet. We will visit Raelis first thing after breakfast tomorrow."

Over dinner, after yet another hot bath and change of clothes, the party relaxed and celebrated their success. Haer'Dalis had departed to mend his wounded fingers at a local temple and return to Raelis. Nalia excitedly laid the wand, rod and harp on the table before their dinner arrived for the evening.

"These are incredibly rare and powerful items. This is a wand of cloudkill. Upon command it will launch a cloud of poisonous gas anywhere the caster wishes it to go."

She slid the wand across the table towards Jeral. He pushed it right back to her.

"Jeral, you cannot cast that spell, this wand would aid you greatly."

Smiling Jeral shook his head, "Lady Nalia, you are a powerful mage and you already can cast that spell. You know how to use it to maximum effect; this wand will allow you to cast it in support of the group more often. Use it well."

Smiling Nalia took the proffered wand and slid it into her robes.

"So what does the rod do Lady Nalia?"

Blushing Nalia looked up at Anomen and then quickly down at the table.

"Um, well, you see, this rod can bring someone back from the dead. Not just anyone, someone who died from unnatural causes."

"That is miraculous!" exclaimed Anomen.

"Indeed it is Squire Anomen. This will assuredly be put to use on one or more of us. I think you should hold it."

Nalia slid the rod across the table and Anomen reverently took it from her hands and placed it in the small pack he always carried.

"What about the harp Nalia?"

"I am not sure, Jeral. It is enchanted but I cannot determine what is does. I do not sense any dark magics on it so it should be safe to use."

Jeral picked up the harp and placed it on his lap. He started at it intently as he turned it from side to side. After a few long moments he tightened a few of the strings and plucked on them. He frowned as he adjusted the strings until they came into tune. Smiling he strummed a few chords and then placed the harp down on the table. Beaming he looked at Nalia and the others around the table.

"This is definitely enchanted. It looks like if the musician plays the harp he can command it to confuse his audience or enemies."

"That is quite the artifact Jeral. Do you know how to play the harp?"

"A little bit Anomen. Gorion made me take music lessons all through my youth back in Candlekeep. I spent most of my time mastering the zink but I do know how to play the harp."

"This would be a worthwhile weapon in battle Jeral."

Jeral shook his head as he chuckled and took a deep draught of ale.

"Anomen this harp may be of use to someone in battle but not by me. I am not going to bring a harp to a sword fight."

Jeral waved down a passing serving girl and asked her to invite Hendak over to their table.

After a few minutes the proprietor of the Copper Coronet arrived. The large former gladiator was clad in well made clothes made of dark grey fabrics. His short swords were strapped to his legs and he looked ready to fight at a moment's notice. A few weeks of freedom had improved his wardrobe but had not dulled his warrior instinct in the least.

"A good evening to you all. What can I do for my rescuers?"

He clapped his hands together and beamed at everyone at the table.

Jeral handed Hendak the harp and smiled at the former gladiator.

"Hendak, please have Bernard sell this. It is quite valuable but we have no need of it."

Hendak looked at the harp and rubbed a large calloused hand over the frame.

"Jeral, this is worth a fortune. The gems alone would elevate a man to the nobility."

"There are enchantments within the instrument as well so please ensure Bernard has the Cowled Wizards register the enchantments within it. That certification will help it collect top dollar."

"Very well, I will have Bernard sell it as soon as he can. It should make all of you a pretty bit of coin."

"I am sure it will Hendak. Please keep half of the proceeds for the Coronet."

"Half? Surely you jest Jeral, that is far too generous. The standard fee for selling goods is never more than one share in ten."

Jeral waved a hand away dismissively.

"We have more than enough coin for our needs and are certain to gain much more very soon. Use the coin to provide for the freed slaves and their families."

"That is more than generous Jeral. You all have my thanks."

Hendak shook his hands vigorously and then departed with the harp in search of Bernard.

After a leisurely dinner the party broke up and went their separate ways for the evening. Viconia excused herself and retired while Yoshimo departed in search of a card game. Jeral and Minsc also excused themselves as they headed off to the gladiator arena, looking for sparring partners. Nalia and Anomen remained at the table sipping their drinks and making awkward small talk. Anomen desperately wished he knew what to say to Nalia but could not find the words. So he consoled himself with stealing occasional glances at her as they sat together in companionable silence. At the end of the evening he escorted her to her room and chastely kissed her hand. As he returned to his room he realized that sleep would not come easily for him that night.

It was very late; Minsc and the other fighters had already retired for the evening. Jeral and Hendak sat bare chested in the center of the gladiatorial pit. Hendak's heavily muscled torso was covered with hundreds of angry raised scars. Both men were breathing heavily and Jeral's arms and ribs were heavily bruised. Raised purple welts lined his arms and chest. Four heavily padded swords lay forgotten in the sand.

"Now I know how Yoshimo felt the last time we sparred. You are a dangerous man Hendak."

Hendak chuckled genially and slowly got up to his feet. He rolled his neck and shoulders a few times and twisted from side to side to loosen up his back. He strode over to a table in the corner and poured two mugs of ale from a large pitcher on the table. As he walked away Jeral could not help but feel inadequate compared to the large man. Hendak was a muscular bear of a man and his torso was covered in scars and grey hair. Jeral was the exact opposite, lean, hairless and unscarred. One of them looked like an adventurer while one looked like some lord's pampered offspring.

Walking back to the center of the gladiator pit Hendak extended a heavily muscled arm and easily hefted Jeral to his feet. He then handed Jeral a mug of ale, clinked mugs, and drained his own. Belching happily Hendak strode back across the room and poured himself a second mug of ale. He stared at the foam atop his ale for long moments before he lifted his gaze back to Jeral.

"I have never spoken of this. I have killed hundreds of men in this pit, maybe thousands. After a few seasons in the arena I stopped keeping count. I just stopped thinking of the people I killed; I had to block it out to keep my sanity. I killed every beast imaginable, from simple kobolds to a fire giant, and everything in between. They even made me kill animals. I am not sure why but that was the hardest. Killing a man, even a man who does not want to be there, comes down to you or him. But an animal, they really don't understand. They are doing what nature bred them to do, nothing more. Them trying to eat me, it wasn't personal. I always felt something in common with the animals, since I lived most of my life in a cage yearning for freedom."

Jeral sipped his ale and spoke, barely above a whisper.

"You were in an impossible situation. You did what you had to do to survive."

"Maybe. I always wanted to live. No matter what happened to me I knew that I wanted to survive and taste freedom again. That never wavered for an instant. I knew that to survive I had to learn to kill; I had to be the best. I practiced for hours a day in my cage. I hardened my body with exercise. I begged the masters for trainers and books so I could learn. Once they saw that I had some skills they supported my efforts, for as a champion of note I could command greater purses in the pits. Once I gained a reputation things improved somewhat. While I was not free I still was in a slightly better place than before. I got my own cell, better food; I stopped fighting unwilling slaves and poor dumb animals. After that I just fought foul creatures and handpicked fighters from other slave organizations. I am ashamed to admit it but I actually liked killing them. I reckon there is not a man in this entire city who can best me in the ring, not a one. That's not a boast mind you; I have gotten good at taking a measure of my opponents. I can size someone up in an instant. Your friends Minsc and Anomen, they would not last long against me."

Jeral paused for a moment to take in the man who stood before him. Hendak was massive, with a broad heavily scarred chest and arms thick with muscle. Despite his great bulk he was as quick as Viconia and was absolutely lethal with his paired short swords. Jeral found it hard to imaging that any may could best Hendak.

Jeral rubbed his shoulder and grimaced, "well I know I cannot beat you."

Hendak eyed Jeral intently for a long moment before draining his mug.

"No Jeral, you cannot beat me. Not yet. But someday you will."

Jeral looked sideways at Hendak, "you have an odd sense of humor friend."

"I speak not in jest. There is something about you that is just not normal. Don't look at me that way Jeral, you must know of what I speak. You gave gifts beyond those of other men. I have watched you since you appeared in my life. I have also listened, that is something else I learned in captivity. Sometimes just listening is the greatest weapon of all. Look at yourself. Just take stock of the gifts you have. You are quicker than almost any man alive; you are stronger than all but the very strongest, and from what Nalia says you have a mind equal to that of any mage. Very few have that combination of gifts."

Jeral started to speak but Hendak shook him off and continued on. "On top of everything else you are an incredibly quick study. In the past three hours you have improved more than any I have ever seen. Most take years to improve as much as you have in this very evening. A few more weeks and you will be the equal to Minsc or Anomen."

"You are a very good teacher Hendak."

"That is true Jeral; I am an excellent teacher of swordsmanship and gladiatorial combat. I have instructed all the guards here in the tavern and many others over my life. None have taken to the blades as quickly as you have."

"Well I did have an excellent teacher back in Baldur's Gate. She taught me how to fight with a pair of short swords."

"And yet now you fight with a long sword in your dominant hand and a short sword in the off hand. That requires significant adjustments to your fighting style, to your stance, it impacts your balance, it impacts everything. I have avoided changing weapons over the years since I cannot afford a misstep. Yet here you are; you make the change and quickly become an expert in a new and different fighting style."

Jeral smiled and shrugged his shoulders, "what can I say? I am a quick learner."

Hendak narrowed his eyes and smiled, "I am pretty sure it is a bit more than that. I mean look at you. There is not a scar on you despite all your adventures to the North and your imprisonment at the hand of Irenicus. Your bruises from our sparring session are already fading away. They will be gone by morning when they should linger for days."

"Hendak, not to be rude but it is very late and I am tired and filthy. All I want is a quick bath and then a good night's sleep."

"Very well Jeral, I am not looking to pry. I will train you to the best of my abilities so you are well prepared to kill this Irenicus. But do not take me for a fool."

"I would never do that Hendak. But I do wish you a good night."

Jeral picked up his discarded shirt and jacket and started to walk away.

"I killed a man like you once, a child of Bhaal."

Jeral almost missed the statement for it was spoken in the faintest whisper. Jeral whirled around and stared at the older man.

"What did you say?" Jeral took a few steps towards Hendak, fists clenched tight.

"It was in this very ring last winter. A slaver organization from Thay brought in their champion to fight me. The stakes involved were enormous. He was rumored to be the most lethal man in the realms. The stories reached me well before we ever met. He was strong as an ox and as quick as a snake. He fought with a trident and they called him the Whispering Death."

Jeral was no longer the least bit tired as he listed to Hendak tell his tale.

"I am not sure what I expected when he entered the ring. Well that's not true; I expected a mountain of a man, someone like me - just larger. Instead I see this man stroll out of the tunnel to face me. He looked, well he just looked normal, the kind of man who would not merit a second look if he passed on the street. He was well built and fit but he was barely larger than you. He came out in a billowing pair of turquoise pants that cuffed at the ankles. He was barefoot and wore nothing other than the pants and a large scarlet sash around his waist. Something about him was just off; I could not figure it out. I can always take a measure of a man, but in his case nothing."

"It was his skin that unsettled me the most, for it was flawless like yours. Here was a legendary pit fighter and there was not a scratch on him. It was impossible. No one is that good. I am one of the greatest fighters of an age and I am as scarred as a whipping post."

"Maybe he had magic to aid him, some spell or device?" Jeral absentmindedly fingered the ring on his left hand as he spoke.

Hendak shook his head grimly.

"Impossible. For the big fights Lehtinan paid Cowled Wizards to place enchantments around the arena to prevent magic from functioning in the pits. Nothing could defeat those wards."

"So what happened?" Jeral could not help himself; Hendak's tale had completely drawn him in.

"What was meant to happen happened. We fought. Me with my blades and him with his trident. Within seconds he had sliced open my cheek to the bone and I knew I had a fight on my hands. Still, nothing I had not seen before. So we battled, his trident kept me at a distance but I was able to get in close from time to time as I started to understand his rhythm and fighting style. I managed to sidestep a thrust of the trident, slide in close and stab him in the thigh. The cut bit deep and my blade hit bone before I pulled it out. I left him hobbled and bleeding as his thigh was torn open."

"So you adjusted and defeated him, I fail to see the point of the story."

"The point, you impatient fop, is that his wound just healed. I dealt him a near mortal wound and it closed up right in front of my eyes. Whatever happened to him, it was something inside of him, something powerful healed him."

Jeral shifted nervously as Hendak carried on.

"Once his leg healed he just started grinning and redoubled his attacks at me. He came on heedless of the danger. He attacked time and time again and I barely managed to fend him off. I cut him dozens of times, some were minor wounds but most would have killed Minsc, let alone a fellow your size. Yet each time the wounds healed, and quickly. For the first time in ages I started to fear and realized that I was going to die."

"What did you do?" Jeral could not imagine how Hendak could survive the battle, yet clearly he did for he stood before him today.

Hendak smiled and rubbed his hands together absently.

"I realized there were many paths to freedom. I embraced my own death and that gave me my life."

"Swordfighter, tavern keeper and philosopher, you are quite the complicated man Hendak."

Hendak playfully shoved Jeral and chuckled.

"Just listen boy. I realized I was going to die but I was determined to not die alone. I was going to take that flawless skinned bastard with me. So I allowed myself to take a wild off balance swing that he easily avoided. I stumbled to my right, exposing my entire left side to him. The pain that washed over me when his trident bit into my side was overwhelming. I barely managed to stay on my feet. I dropped the blade in my left hand and grasped the shaft of his trident. He leaned forward, bracing himself to ensure I could not remove the trident from my side."

"We were both in for quite a shock when I instead pulled the trident towards me. The trident dug deeper into my side and tore up my innards. I knew I was mortally wounded, I could feel myself seconds from death. His eyes opened wide in shock as I pulled him in close. Gritting my teeth against the pain I twisted around and slashed out with my right arm. I caught him completely by surprise and my blade removed his head from his body. As I collapsed to the ground I ended up staring at his body on the floor. The last thing I saw before I passed out was his entire body turning into ash and then just disappearing into the ground."

"How did you survive?"

"Lehtinan did not want to lose his champion, particularly after I won a match like that. Apparently it took three clerics from the Temple of Illmater to keep me alive. I slept for six days after that fight."

Hendak patted his side and Jeral noticed the three circular scars from the trident wound. Unlike many of his wounds they looked pink and fresh when compared to so many of his older pale white scars.

"Why are you telling me all this Hendak?"

"Jeral, I owe you and your friends my life. We all do. I am happy to train you and support you as best I can. When you are ready to face this Irenicus I wish you all the best of luck. Just remember sometimes to win a fight one must be willing to sacrifice it all."

Jeral nodded quietly in understanding. Hendak smiled and opened his mouth once again.

"And as a general rule, cutting a man's head off pretty much will kill anyone, regardless of the magic protecting them or the divinity in their blood."


	14. A loss of temper

_Every time you visit a planar prison a bard gets his armor._

 _Not quite as dramatic or memorable as 'every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings' is it?_

 _Something made me think about the line from 'It's a Wonderful Life.'_

 _Anyway, on to Chapter 14!_

Chapter 14: A loss of temper

Jeral stared at Raelis and the other performers in the basement theatre underneath the Five Flagons Inn.

"So let me get this straight? You are extra planar travelers and you want to open an inter dimensional portal so you may return to your home plane?"

"Ah… you see with the clarity of genius my friend." Haer'Dalis said in his overly dramatic way.

"Hardly genius Haer'Dalis. When one grows up in one of the greatest libraries in the realms they learn about all sorts of odd things. I found the books about planar travel fascinating."

"Jeral, you are correct, this is a portal that will allow us to return to our home. We have been away from home long enough. I have one additional request, although you have done so much for us already."

"Raelis, there is no harm in asking."

"Of course there is harm Jeral, what she requests will assuredly be dangerous, or at least inconvenient," Viconia muttered in his ear.

If Raelis heard she gave no indication as she continued.

"When we open the portal there is a chance that various creatures may try to enter this dimension. We could use your assistance to keep them back."

"Very well Raelis, we shall assist you as best we can."

Jeral shrugged and slowly drew his blades.

Everyone readied their weapons as Raelis started chanting. The gem glowed a brilliant green, filling the theatre with light, and a cloud of yellow tinged energy appeared where there was only a wall before. Several bizarre looking creatures entered the theatre but as they appeared one after another they were easily dispatched.

The portal changed colors going from yellow to blood red. Raelis and the others looked confused at the dramatic change in the portal's color.

"This has never happened before. Someone else has gained control of the portal!"

Raelis screamed and shuddered in fear as she gawked at the portal.

A large humanoid creature stepped through the portal. It has the face of a lizard and a heavy scaly body underneath gilded black plate mail. The halberd it carried was serrated and looked very dangerous.

"Ah here are my wayward balladeers. I have searched for you for some time. I will be paid handsomely for your capture."

"Foul Beast, we will not let these innocents be harmed!"

Anomen bellowed as he stepped forward, the Flail of Ages held ready at his side.

The beast lazily turned to stare at the cleric and sneered, showing a mouth full of sharp serrated teeth.

"Puny meat sack, these are not innocents by any means. Besides, I am not one to take orders from such rabble as you. Your interference ends now!"

With a snarl he slammed his halberd into the ground. Raelis and her friends were instantly sucked into the portal and the beast leapt in after them before the party could react.

The group was left staring at empty space and a red glowing portal hanging directly in front of them.

"Jeral, we must go after them!"

"Anomen is right, evil needs butt kicking and Boo says the portal will remain open for a few more moments!"

Jeral quickly looked to the others.

"Nalia what say you?"

"I agree we must try to aid Raelis and the others."

"Yoshimo?"

"Departing for another plane is far too dangerous. You cannot place yourself in such danger, you are far too valuable."

Seeing the confused stares of the others Yoshimo quickly calmed down and continued, "Although lead where you will and I will follow."

"Well that was not helpful. Dare I ask for your thoughts Viconia?"

"I say Lloth have them! We have better things to do than chase after idiots who are certainly in mortal danger. We owe them nothing."

"Good point Viconia, you can stay here then. Hopefully we shall see one another again."

With a wink and a smile, Jeral tightened the grip on his blades and leapt into the portal, hoping that the others were behind him. He felt himself tumbling over and over again through a black void; never falling, just pulled along an invisible pathway. Jeral yelled out for the others but heard nothing, not even his own voice. Eventually even the sensation of movement disappeared leaving Jeral wondering what was happening and how long he was traveling. Instead of panicking Jeral experienced a sense of complete calm that he had not felt since back in his days at Candlekeep. Jeral closed his eyes and surrendered completely to the peace and serenity that enveloped him. He would willingly stay like this for all eternity. Nothing mattered, not Imoen, not Irenicus, nothing at all.

Jeral was jolted back to the present as he shot out of the portal and landed on a rock hard, smooth polished floor. The air was oppressively hot and humid. He was surprised by the change in environment and dropped to a knee to regain his balance. His swords clanged loudly on the ground as everyone in the room turned to face him.

 _So much for the element of surprise O great swordsman,_ he thought wryly.

He was in a most bizarre chamber, like nothing he had ever seen before. The walls looked like they were made of bone and tissue. The floors were white, smooth, and very hot while the ceiling was pitch black. The area was well lit but there were no apparent sources of light. Jeral saw that there were a pair of Yuan ti, four armed humans and an unarmed gnome in the room. The humans all wore strange collars that glowed and pulsed with an evil purple light. One of the snake men was berating the gnome and demanding to know how he had removed his collar. Seeing Jeral the snake man ordered the humans to attack. Three of the armed man charged while the fourth started casting a spell.

Jeral remembered back to all the great tomes of knowledge at Candlekeep. One of his favorites was a history of great warlords. The words of Lorgram Berthander, the great Nielienesse warlord at the battle of the Gemanali Gap sprang into his head, ' _Outnumbered, and encircled, we have the enemy right where we want them. Attack, for that will be the last thing they will ever expect.'_

Offering a silent prayer to Gorion's memory, and hoping his friends were on the way, Jeral charged. He crashed into the three fighters opposing him and managed to quickly dispatch one of them with a well place sword slash to the neck that removed his head from his torso. Thinking back to his conversation with Hendak the evening before Jeral could not help but smile.

 _Hendak was right, taking a man's head off does work pretty well,_ Jeral mused.

Skeletons started to appear around him and he realized that his already poor odds had changed for the worse.

Jeral suddenly felt a blindingly sharp pain in his back, and realized that that he had an unseen assailant in addition to the many the visible threats. Jeral whirled around to face the new threat and saw an extremely thin dwarf holding a wicked looking dagger that was coated in blood – his blood. He struggled to focus and realized that he was losing control of his limbs as he fell weakly to the floor. Poison! He tried to channel the power within him but he found it impossible to focus as his vision started to cloud. The last thing he saw before his eyes closed was the image of an irate Viconia getting knocked to the ground by Minsc as he barreled out of the portal and smashed into her. Then all went dark.

Jeral awoke face down on the floor. The strange white floor was warm to the touch. It was also covered in blood. Jeral desperately hoped that it was not his own blood. He lifted his head slightly off the floor and saw that Yoshimo and Viconia were looting the bodies while Anomen knelt over Minsc, tending to his wounds. Nalia knelt in front of the gnome and they seemed to be deep in conversation. The bodies of the Yuan ti and the four humans, plus the dwarf that Jeral had seen earlier, were strewn across the floor. The battle had clearly been vicious but his companions had escaped largely without injury. Jeral slowly pushed himself into a sitting position and then slowly stood up from there. His back was sore and he was covered in blood but he had obviously been healed by Viconia or Anomen while he was passed out. He stretched out his back and tested how it felt. Tight and sore but nothing too unbearable. Once he was sure everything still worked he picked up his swords and sheathed them.

Groggily Jeral asked, "What did I miss?"

Viconia turned and headed towards Jeral. Smiling she twirled a dagger between her fingers and then tossed it to Jeral pommel first. He caught it and examined it closely.

"Nalia says that the blade is heavily enchanted and can put its victims into a deep sleep with every strike. That dwarf buried it in your back. We arrived just in time to see you fall. Minsc thought you were dead. He lost control and cut the dwarf in two. After that the rest were not too much trouble."

Viconia gently traced the outline of Jeral's jaw and slapped him softly on the cheek.

"Try and be more careful next time male. While I have not yet taken my rights with you I have laid my claim. It would be rude to deny me my rights."

With that she turned, tossed her white hair over a mailed shoulder and sauntered off.

Smiling and asking himself why he always was attracted to a woman who has an attitude, Jeral tucked the heavily enchanted dagger into his boot. He removed the lightly enchanted dagger that was there previously and offered it to Nalia. Lacking any enchanted blade of her own she happily discarded her iron blade and slid the lightly enchanted one into the scabbard on her belt. They also recovered a pair of heavily enchanted boots.

After examination Jeral determined that the boots would make the wearer faster than any man alive. Minsc had asked for the boots so he could, "better catch the butts of evil," but Jeral feared the wild ranger running into trouble before everyone could catch up. Anomen seemed a better and far wiser option. Anomen took the boots with a smile and placed them on his feet.

Jeral scanned the corpses on the floor looking for other items of interest and found his eyes drawn to the corpse of one of the human fighters. The corpse was battered and bloody and had obviously encountered the business end of the Flail of Ages. His head and side were collapsed from the heavy weapon and the spikes on the flail heads. Despite all the damage to his head and body his silvery green chain mail armor was perfectly intact. Jeral knelt down and ran his hands over the armor. He could feel the heavy enchantment in the armor radiating into his hands and intuitively knew the armor was meant for him. He stood up and started removing his set of battered and stained leather armor. Only the minor enchantments in the armor were holding the set together as it had taken a beating over the past weeks.

"Jeral, we are in a dangerous place on an unknown plane. Far be it from me to criticize but this does not seem like the appropriate time to remove ones armor."

"Right you are Yoshimo. However this chain armor is mine. It is powerfully enchanted and is literally made for someone like me."

"Who makes armor for weak willed surfacers who get themselves stabbed in the back?"

Viconia's jibe was delivered so well that even Anomen could not stifle a guffaw at Jeral's expense.

"Well so nice to see that clerics stick together" Jeral shook his read ruefully before continuing.

"In the annals of bardic lore there are stories of armor such as this. It is known by many names throughout the ages, but the two most common names are melodic chain and bardic chain. This mail is extremely rare as it is enchanted to allow bards to cast spells while wearing armor. Needless to say, that would allow me to use what few spells I have at more appropriate times."

Viconia strode over and rolled a few of the fine metal links between her fingers.

"This is not of elven make."

"No, this was made by the finest human armorers and was enchanted by some of the greatest mages of a time long ago. According to some of the oldest tomes in Candlekeep an ancient king loved music so much that he demanded that his personal bodyguard were all singers, and musicians. That way even in battle he could be surrounded by beautiful music. In order to ensure that his musicians could protect themselves, and him, the king spent lavishly to commission twenty sets of heavily enchanted chain mail for his men. He called the men his Royal Bladesingers."

"What happened to the king and his guard?" Anomen asked. "I have never heard of this in my time in the Order."

"I would not expect the Order to know of this for the king did not last long. Legend says the king and his personal bodyguard fought against another ruler and his personal guard of plate clad warriors. To a man the king and his blade singers were slaughtered, and the suits of armor were lost to the mists of time. This is a piece of that history."

"Hopefully it serves you better than the pathetic minstrels who wore it originally."

"Thank you as always for your support Viconia."

Jeral picked up the armor and slid it over his head. The silvery green metal links shimmered and seemed to perfectly fit Jeral as he stretched and tested his range of movement in the new armor. Jeral used the ties on the arms to secure the armored sleeves to his upper arms. Once his arms were secure he picked up his sword belt and strapped his sword belt around his waist. He adjusted the scabbard to the Blade of Roses so it was situated low on his left hip. He did not have to move the short sword strapped to his left thigh. The chain mail tunic reached almost to his knees but it was quartered so he had freedom of movement and easy access to his second blade. He tied down the chain mail on his legs to hold it in place. Jeral stretched from side to side to ensure that the armor did not constrict his movements. The armor was light and incredibly strong.

Smiling Jeral twirled the Blade of Roses in his hand and said "much better." Jeral folded up the studded leather armor and stored it in his pack so they could sell it back in Athkatla.

Once Jeral was ready they started to head off down the central hallway out of the entry chamber.

"Pardon me for saying so but I would not go that way."

Everyone turned and started at the emaciated gnome standing next to Nalia.

"I think we should listen to what he has to say. Go ahead, it is all right. No one will hurt you."

Nalia patted the gnome reassuringly on the shoulder.

"Thank you lass. My name is Tagget Jansen. I thank for you arriving when you did for they would have killed me for my insolence."

"What is this place master gnome? We are looking for a troupe of actors who were recently brought here."

Smiling the gnome looked up at Anomen.

"Such manners long limb, someone taught you well. This is a prison of a sort. Your friends came in shortly before you arrived. The Warden's prize bounty hunter brought them in. They are in the Warden's personal cells on the far side of his throne room.

"Where are those cells? We intend to set them free."

"And then what?"

"Then we intend to leave master gnome. They understood about planar portals so I am sure they can get us back to our home."

"You are wrong there Helmite. Only the Warden, or one of his chosen lieutenants, can operate the portal. It is heavily warded to obey only his will. The Warden's rule is absolute and so long as he lives no one may leave this place without his permission."

"Then we must challenge this Warden and defeat him. Where is he? We will go there straight away."

"Well if you do that you will never leave here alive. He is down that hallway but you cannot reach him for there are traps on the floors that cannot be avoided. If you fall into one of the traps you will enter the fighting pits and there you will assuredly perish. He holds absolute sway over the minds of everyone here. The guards are loyal to him while the prisoners are held under his command through their collars. The collars are they key should you have any hope to survive this place."

Tagget picked up his collar from the floor and handed it to Nalia.

"These collars make one a slave to each and every one of the Warden's commands."

"So we have to fight out way through the prisoners as well? That is terrible," Nalia's shoulders sagged in dismay.

"Your heart is in the right place lass. Know that there is away to free the prisoners from their mental bonds. Take that smaller passage over there. Find and defeat the master of thralls. He is the Warden's second in command. He holds a massive blood red gem on his person. If you destroy that in the pit of flame then the collars will fall off each and every slave. Once free many of the prisoners will fight for their freedom. If the prisoners fight at your side you will have a much better chance to survive this horrible place."

"How did you get your collar off good gnome?"

Yoshimo's question was delivered in a pleasant tone of voice but the accusation was clear, he was not sure the gnome could be trusted.

Tagget smiled and held up a thin strip of metal.

"I am a Jansen. That means I am always trying to build something or fix something. Everyone in my entire clan is an inventor. I have spent six months working to unlock this collar until I finally managed to get it to open. That was why they were so angry. They fear a prisoner revolt and they wanted to ensure I did not have a way to allow others to escape."

Nalia thanked the gnome for his advice and kissed the top of his bald head. He trotted off in the other direction looking for a good hiding place until all the fighting was over.

Yoshimo and Anomen led the way down the corridor suggested by Tagget. After a quick battle with three more enslaved humans they passed a large fleshy mound in the center of the hallway floor that pulsed and gurgled unnaturally.

"Make sure you step around that. It is some sort of trap that leads to the fighting pens. Tagget said they are very nasty and should be carefully avoided. The other hallway was completely blocked by these."

"Not much of a trap, who would step on something that obvious Nalia?"

"Well I guess not everyone is as smart as you are Jeral," Nalia jibed.

Nalia and the others passed by a large firepit that radiated intense heat.

 _Well that has to be the pit of flame,_ Jeral mused silently.

They passed another two traps and then Anomen and Yoshimo froze as they heard faint hissing ahead. Jeral drew his swords and motioned Yoshimo to scout out ahead. The bounty hunter silently crept forward and saw three Yuan ti and a pair of humans, one male and one female, in a large high vaulted room. The woman was attired in sky blue mage robes while the man wore studded leather armor and carried a long bow. Yoshimo quietly retreated and rejoined the others. He quickly sketched out their opposition and then listened as the others developed a plan. Yoshimo would target the yuan ti and Nalia would target the mage to ensure neither could cast a spell. Anomen, Minsc and Jeral would close with the enemy while Viconia would engage the remaining human fighter from a distance and support with spells as needed. Everyone nodded their consent, readied their weapons and charged.

As they raced to close with their enemy the female mage and one of the Yuan ti started casting spells. An arrow from Yoshimo tore into the snake man's chest, interrupting its spell casting. Unfortunately, Nalia's arrows both missed the mage. The female mage completed her spell and a series of lightning bolts leapt from her hands and flew towards the party. Anomen and Jeral managed to dive out of the way and were none the worse for wear, although Jeral's hair was standing up wildly and sticking out in all directions. The bolts slammed into Minsc, staggering him. The large ranger roared in pain and rage and continued his charge. The bolts then bounced from Minsc straight into Nalia.

Jeral realized he was witnessing a chain lightening spell and understood immediately that the mage must be very powerful to have mastered such a complex spell.

Committed to wounding the enemy mage, Nalia did not move. She fired another pair of arrows an instant before the lightning bolts hit her square in the chest. With an agonizing scream she fell back and collapsed to the ground. Anomen looked back and saw Nalia immobile on the ground, a wisp of smoke arising from her scorched mage robes. The lady Nalia de'Arnise was dead.

Anomen screamed in rage and rose to his feet with a thunderous expression on his face. He was consumed with hate and rage beyond anything he had ever felt before. His father's mocking words, the scorn from the other squires at the Order, the disapproval from Sir Keldorn, even his own sister's murder –nothing had enraged him like Nalia's death. Filled with nothing beyond the determination to strike down the one who felled Nalia he charged the mage with murder in his eyes.

Watching the enraged Helmite approach the mage's eyes opened wide in fear she hastily began casting another spell. Moving faster than ever, thanks to his enchanted boots, Anomen was in front of her before she could complete her spell. Anomen leapt forward and brutally swung the Flail of Ages into the side of her head. Her skull simply collapsed under the force of the blow as all three flail heads tore into it. She fell to the ground in a lifeless heap. Still roaring in anger, the Helmite charged the nearest Yuan Ti and dispatched him with two great swings of the flail. Minsc had managed to kill one Yuan Ti while Jeral dispatched the other. The remaining fighter saw Anomen advancing on him and started to back slowly towards the far side of the room while steadily firing arrows at the Helmite. Bellowing curses Anomen raced towards him and struck him down before he could take more than a few steps. Still enraged, and bellowing a rather off color battle cry, Anomen raced into the next chamber looking for more opponents to kill.

Jeral looked back and saw that Viconia was sitting on the ground with Nalia's head cradled on her lap.

"How is she?" Jeral shouted.

"Dead!" replied Viconia.

Jeral's whole body slumped in dismay at Nalia's death. Viconia's commanding snarl snapped him out of his reverie.

"But it is not too late to bring her back fool! Get the enchanted rod from the Helmite and bring it to me. Be quick or she will cross over and will forever be beyond recall!"

Jeral nodded and took off in pursuit of Anomen. Jeral shouted for Anomen to halt but he was out of ear shot, having disappeared from sight into the next chamber. Jeral quickly glanced at the others. Minsc was barely on his feet. The lightning bolts that had killed Nalia had hit the large ranger full in the chest and left him weakened and in tremendous pain. Boo was a ball of fur as the static electricity made him look three times his normal size. Viconia was tending to Nalia while Yoshimo eyed the far hallway and kept his short bow ready for any threat.

Jeral pulled out two potions of extra healing from his pack and handed them to Minsc.

"Drink these and follow me. Anomen may need our help."

Minsc hurriedly gulped down both potions and smiled as the pain of his wounds quickly left his body.

"Yoshimo, come with us."

Nodding the bounty hunter loped silently after Jeral and Minsc. The three entered the next chamber and were stunned at the sight before them. Anomen was locked in battle with two large air elementals and a giant wyvern. Standing behind the combat a massive winged demon looking creature stood observing the battle, as if enjoying the spectacle in front of it. Anomen was bleeding from a number of wounds but seemed unconcerned for his own well-being. Shouting various profane battle cries, interspersed with appeals to Helm, he swung the Flail of Ages from side to side, inflicting damage with every strike while keeping his foes at bay.

Jeral ordered Minsc to attack the wyvern on the right side while he raced up to stand behind Anomen. Jeral sheathed his long sword and quickly cut the pack straps on Anomen's pack with his short sword. It took his a few tries as Anomen was moving all around as he attacked the creatures opposing him. Anomen took no notice of Jeral and continued to focus on the enemies to his front. The pack straps finally yielded to Jeral's blade and the pack fell to the floor. Jeral ducked down, picked up the pack and tossed it to Yoshimo.

"Get that to Viconia and then hurry back! We will need your assistance!"

Nodding once the bounty hunter caught the backpack in his left hand, turned on his heel, and sprinted in the other direction. Jeral watched Yoshimo for a second before drawing his long sword and turning towards their opponents.

Recognizing that the wyvern was the most dangerous immediate opponent, due to its poisonous tail, Jeral joined Minsc in combating the large beast while Anomen faced off against the pair of air elementals. The wyvern was focused on attacking the priest so it did not notice the late arrivals until Licaror and the Blade of Roses both cut deeply into its side. Howling in pain it turned to face the new attackers while flapping its massive wings wildly. It lashed out with its beak and followed up with a strike by its stinger. Jeral twisted wildly and barely escaped its jaws. Minsc nimbly sidestepped the stinger and sliced it off with one mighty downward swing. The wyvern roared in pain as its tail swung wildly, spraying blood and ichor everywhere. The beast turned and snapped out at Minsc. Jeral lashed out with the Blade of Roses and cut deeply into the creature's massive neck. Badly wounded, the great beast clawed out at Jeral and slammed a foreleg into his chest. Jeral felt ribs break as the vicious blow hurled him to the ground.

Fortunately, the creature's long razor shape claws could not penetrate his heavily enchanted chain mail. Jeral quickly rolled to the side to avoid another claw strike and clambered to his feet.

With a roar Minsc brought down his massive warblade and severed the creature's neck. Lacking both head and tail the massive beast collapsed to the floor and lay still. They had no time to celebrate their victory for the massive winged demon roared and flew towards Jeral and Minsc.

"You fools killed my pet. Foolish interlopers, you will not free my thralls; you will join them in bondage and pay for your crimes!"

The creature spread its wings wide, leaned forward, opened its jaws and screamed. A piercing scream echoed through the chamber, louder than anything Jeral though possible. Louder than any sound Jeral had ever heard before. His brain hurt from the intensity of the noise and he shook his head in a vain effort to make the overwhelming pain stop. Gritting his teeth in concentration he willed himself to block out the noise. Something welled up inside of him and suddenly the pain was gone from his head. Blinking in surprise Jeral saw with horror than Anomen and Minsc were both frozen in place. Something about the Master of Thrall's piercing cry had paralyzed the two plate clad warriors. The pair of air elementals started to batter away at Anomen and Minsc who were unable to defend themselves.

Realizing he had to draw the trio of creatures away from his helpless companions Jeral cast a brace of magic missiles at the air elemental closest to Anomen. The formless creature appeared buffeted by the missiles and both of the elementals quickly started gliding towards Jeral. Jeral quickly muttered a few arcane words and suddenly the creatures were looking at five images of Jeral where only one stood before. They paused for a heartbeat as they took in the scene in front of them. Jeral fired a quick flame arrow at the Master of Thralls. The spell appeared to barely scratch the massive creature but it served to pull him away from the others and towards Jeral. The trio of creatures advanced on Jeral.

Jeral gritted his teeth and called upon the darkness in his blood. Embracing his gift, Jeral smiled as a wave of strength, speed, and rage washed over him. The pain in his ribs receded as he held his blades ready at his sides. The Master of Thralls screamed again but this time the piercing cry washed over Jeral without the slightest affect. Jeral locked eyes with the large winged beast and roared back at him. Drawing on the darkness buried inside him, Jeral allowed himself to welcome the hate that lingered inside of him. Hate for Irenicus for the torture inflicted upon him, hate for the Cowled Wizards who had kidnapped Imoen, hate for the slavers who killed children, hate for his own weakness. It all combined into a mass in the pit of his stomach and poured out in one cathartic blast of anger. The inhuman sound that escaped Jeral's lips caused the very cavern to shake as the monstrous roar echoed down the halls.

The noise caused the air elementals to slide back a few paces. The Master of Thralls looked confused for an instant as it struggled to understand what just happened. Taking advantage of their confusion Jeral snarled and leapt forward, his blades lashing out at the winged creature. His left hand blade glanced off the creature's tough red hide while his right hand blade tore through the soft membranes on the demon's wing. The Master of Thralls roared in anger and clawed wildly at Jeral. The beast seemed to move in slow motion as Jeral ducked under the massive claws and pivoted around behind the creature. As he spun he lashed out at the closest air elemental and watched as both his blades easily sliced through the creature's amorphous shape.

The creature appeared to stagger back as if badly injured. Jeral completed his turn and found himself on the other side of the Master of Thralls. Before the massive beast could turn and face him Jeral stabbed out again with both of his blades. They bit deeply into the creature's side and hot sulfurous blood poured from the wounds. The blood bubbled and smoked as it puddle on the floor. The creature backpedaled as it pivoted to face Jeral. The massive beast no longer looked confident; Jeral could see fear in its dark eyes. He could almost taste it as the creature's fear flowed over him like a warm comforting mist.

Jeral lashed out again and his blades glanced off the creature's torso. Before Jeral could strike again he was stuck on the back and staggered forward. The air elementals must have destroyed all his duplicate images! As he struggled to remain on his feet he was struck again and was thrown heavily to the floor. As he hit the ground his swords slid out of his grasp.

On all fours, Jeral scrambled away from his attackers and threw himself over the wyvern's corpse. With an instant to compose himself Jeral withdrew the dagger from his boot and rose to his feet. The pair of air elementals floated over the wyvern's corpse to attack Jeral and the Master of Thralls was slowly following them.

"Inferiem actacio!"

Jeral extended his left hand and a jet of flame flowed out of his hand and engulfed the closest air elemental. The flames struck the creature and quickly swirled around the beast, carried by its own winds. The flames fed off the creature, totally consuming it. As the elemental winked out of existence the flames instantly snuffed out. Jeral held his dagger out in front of his body as he eyed the pair of creatures advancing on him.

The air elemental lashed out at him but Jeral managed to twist away from the worst of the attack. Jeral took a few steps, stepped up on the wyvern's back and launched himself at the Master of Thralls. The advancing creature was unprepared for Jeral's reckless attack. Jeral's mind instantly flashed back to his foolish attack against Sarevok in the caverns under Baldur's Gate so many months ago. During that reckless assault Sarevok had neatly skewered Jeral with his blade; fortunately Imoen was there to finish the man off. Well Imoen was not with him today to come to his rescue so he had best not fail.

Snapping back to the present Jeral flew though the air and viciously stabbed downwards at the winged demon. The creature's eyes opened wide with surprise as Jeral's dagger bit deeply into the creature, striking it in the thick corded muscles where the shoulder connected with the neck. The Master of Thralls collapsed to the ground in pain, tearing the blade from Jeral's hand.

Jeral turned back around in time to see the remaining air elemental slam into him. The creature violently slammed into him and Jeral reeled back as he struggled to stay on his feet. Exhausted and weaponless Jeral clenched his fists as he readied for the creature's next strike. The creature slammed into him again and Jeral staggered back. The creature hit him a third time and Jeral dropped to his knees. As the creature moved forward yet again a flaming arrow zipped over Jeral's head and caught the creature in the center of its shapeless mass. Fed by the creature's own winds the flames started to spread over the beast. A second arrow quickly followed the first and the air elemental shook wildly from side to side at the flames grew in intensity. As the creature writhed in pain they flames only grew hotter and more intense. After a long moment the flames snuffed out as the creature was no more.

Jeral turned to see Yoshimo approaching with his bow held at the ready.

"I am glad I returned when I did."

"As am I Yoshimo, as am I. Once again you have my thanks."

Jeral wearily pushed himself to his feet, reclaimed his swords and sheathed them. As he approached the Master of Thralls to reclaim his dagger he recoiled in shock as he watched the creature's chest slowly rise and fall. The blade had badly wounded the Master of Thralls and it also rendered it unconscious.

Jeral scrambled backwards and madly clambered to recover his blades. He stared at the Master of Thralls. All of the rage and anger had drained out of him, Jeral felt only fatigue and exhaustion as he wearily eyed the downed beast. He was desperately tired and aching for some water. Unfortunately he was not carrying his traveling equipment so his water skin was back in his room at the Copper Coronet. The creature was terribly wounded but yet lived. Jeral pointed a blade at the beast and whispered "it still lives."

"Not for long. Please permit me Jeral."

Yoshimo calmly placed his short bow on the ground, after finding a blood free spot, and smoothly drew his katana from the scabbard on his left hip. He gripped the blade in a two handed grip and swung down viciously at the creature's neck. The first swing bit deeply into the massive neck, as did the second swing. The third strike severed the creature's head from its torso and Yoshimo quickly stepped back to avoid the wave of blood and gore that poured from the foul creature.

Panting from the exertion Yoshimo looked at Jeral and smiled slightly.

Jeral returned Yoshimo's smile and yet again counted himself lucky to have a man as skilled as Yoshimo as part of the group.

With the creature dead Anomen and Minsc were freed from its paralyzing effect and the pair staggered over to stand by Jeral and Yoshimo. Minsc looked confused and a little winded while Anomen looked distraught.

"How did Jeral manage to defeat all of these creatures without Minsc and Anomen?"

Jeral just shrugged his shoulders and smiled tiredly.

"Yoshimo helped a lot Minsc."

"Boo says you saved our lives while we could not move. You are a great warrior Jeral."

Before Jeral could reply Anomen broke in angrily, "A great warrior would have not let Nalia die, you failed her!"

Sobbing Anomen dropped to his knees and continued in a quiet broken voice, "I failed her. The one good thing left in my life and I failed her."

"Anomen, there is still hope."

Anomen shook his head angrily, "I watched her die Jeral. I lack the power to bring her back; I am not worthy of such a gift. Perhaps someday Helm will judge me worthy, but not yet."

"Anomen, Viconia….."

"Viconia and her false God do not have the kind of power needed to save Nalia. And if they did would one such as her even use the ability?"

Anomen's face reddened as his words grew in volume and intensity. Anomen rose to his feet and clenched his hands tightly at his sides as he raised his eyes to the sky.

"First Moira and now Nalia! O Helm why have you forsaken me this way?"

"Anomen, Nalia may yet live."

Jeral spoke quietly, yet the words caused Anomen to flinch as if burned.

"Mock me not Jeral, I am not in the mood for such jests." Jeral raised his voice and snapped at the Helmite.

"Anomen, let go of your anger and think for an instant. Think and remember. We have a rod in our possession that can return one to life; if wielded by a powerful cleric immediately after someone's death."

Anomen's eyes widened as his hand reached for the pack on his back. His hands scrambled wildly looking for the straps. Realizing that his pack was gone his eyes widened in panic. Anger was replaced by panic and desperation and Anomen reached out and roughly grabbed Jeral by the shoulders.

"Jeral, my pack, it must have fallen off somewhere. We must find it and quickly!"

Anomen released his hold on Jeral and turned to search for his pack.

Jeral grabbed Anomen's arm and the cleric roughly pulled away. Jeral's anger flashed and he gripped more tightly and held fast. Anomen struggled but could not free himself from Jeral's vice like grip. Growing angry and impatient Jeral steadily gripped harder and harder. Anomen felt the metal forearm guard start to warp as Jeral tightened his grip and slowly bent the enchanted plate. Anomen's eyes widened in anger and surprise and he looked from his forearm to Jeral.

Realizing what he had done Jeral quickly pulled his hand away and then spoke in a low calm voice.

"After Nalia fell you went into a blind rage and would not listen to reason. I took your pack and Yoshimo brought it to Viconia. She was going to attempt to bring Nalia back to life with the resurrection rod. I do not know what happened, but do not lose hope good Squire. Nalia may yet live."


	15. She lives and he dies

Chapter 15: She lives and he dies

 _Nalia may yet live!_

 _Nalia may yet live!_

 _Nalia may yet live!_

Anomen repeated the words over and over in his mind as he raced back towards the chamber where he watched Nalia fall. Oblivious to everything else, Anomen sprinted down hallways carried faster than any man alive by his enchanted boots of speed. He rounded the final corner and skidded to a stop.

Not twenty paces away Viconia sat on the floor with Nalia lying on the ground. Nalia's head was on the drow's lap and Viconia was gently brushing her hair with an ebony comb and speaking quietly to her. Nalia lay there unmoving; Anomen could not see any signs of life. Dropping his shield, flail, and helm, he walked over to stand next to Viconia. The rod of resurrection lay on the ground next to Viconia, forgotten as it lay next to Anomen's pack.

He could not make himself ask the question he desperately wanted to ask for he feared the answer. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he stared down at Nalia'a lifeless form. Finally he mustered the courage to speak.

"Is she….?" Anomen's voice cracked and trailed off.

Viconia looked up and Anomen and her eyes widened as she took in the look of utter despair on the young squire's face.

"She lives Anomen. Lady Nalia lives."

Anomen dropped to his knees and started sobbing heavily into his hands. His entire body shook as heavy tears fell to the floor.

"O thank Helm! Well done Viconia. Very well done." Anomen beamed at the cleric through red rimmed, tear streaked eyes.

"She is very weak but she lives. She needs a little time to rest but will recover fully. She is young and strong and she wanted to live, she was not yet ready to cross over. That made it much easier to recall her from the other side. This one is a strong female Anomen, you have chosen well."

"Viconia, I owe you an apology."

Anomen wiped the tears from his eyes as he stared at the drow. Viconia looked at Anomen blankly so the Helmite pressed on.

"Through everything I have had doubts about you. I doubted your motives. I doubted your character. I even doubted your worship of Shar, even though I saw the evidence of her favor with mine own eyes. You have given me no cause to ever doubt you, but my prejudice for your kind was strong and slow to change, and for that I apologize my lady."

Viconia shrugged her shoulders as she returned Anomen's gaze coolly. "I have always told you that our needs align Helmite, at least for now, and that should be enough."

Anomen shook his head doggedly. "It is more than that my lady. You have been nothing but honorable in your dealing with me and have saved the lives of innocents. You are a good person and I hope in time we can become friends."

Viconia snorted, "I suspect friendship it beyond us Helmite. Still, I would settle for us not being enemies."

Anomen nodded gravely and smiled at the drow.

"Very well, we shall start there. But know that I am in your debt. Would you permit me to sit with Nalia my lady?"

Viconia nodded and Anomen sat down next to her. Wordlessly Viconia handed Anomen the hairbrush and gently shifted Nalia so her head was resting on the squire's lap. Once Nalia was settled Anomen started tenderly brushing her hair while Viconia slowly stood up. She started to walk towards the other side of the room where Jeral, Yoshimo and Minsc stood quietly taking in the scene before them.

"My lady."

Viconia turned and looked back at Anomen. He held the rod out towards her.

"You should hold onto this, I am sure it is in good hands in your care. It is clear to me that you are better able to keep your head in times of danger than I am."

Wordlessly she nodded, took the proffered rod, and secured it in the pouch at her side.

Anomen looked down and gently, ever so gently, started to brush Nalia's hair. As he brushed her hair he looked down on the young mage and realized that Viconia was absolutely correct.

He was in love and wanted to be by her side for the rest of his life. Of course he would have to court Nalia properly and pray to Helm and hope she would love him too. Anomen wondered if he should also say a prayer to the Goddess Sune but he quickly banished that thought from his head.

Smiling, he just enjoyed the closeness with Nalia as she slept, recovering her strength. He sent a silent prayer of thanks to Helm, along with a vow that he would do everything in his power to protect her life.

Nervously Jeral looked at the two entrances to the chamber and dispatched Minsc and Yoshimo to stand watch at each end of the room. As the pair walked off he turned to speak with the drow.

"Viconia, how long until she can at least walk? This is no place for us to linger."

"Patience Jeral, the girl was dead not moments ago. I would give her a little time to regain her strength. She is young and strong and should recover quickly. She will be weak but she should be able to walk and accompany us."

"Perhaps this will aid her. I took the liberty of searching through the carnage caused by our noble squire while watching the corridor and found a few interesting items."

Yoshimo twirled an ornately carved white staff around in his hands before he held it out to Viconia. The staff was made of an incredibly hard pale wood, polished smooth and engraved with illegible ancient runes and carvings of clouds and birds in flight.

"I am told that every mage needs a staff, and this one looks exceptional."

Viconia took the staff from Yoshimo and held it out in front of Jeral and looked at him questioningly. Jeral ran his hands over the staff for a few moments before speaking in a low voice.

"I detect no evil in this staff although it is heavily enchanted. As to the nature of the enchantment I fear that is beyond me at this time. I am sure Nalia can determine more when she has the time to examine it properly."

Satisfied Viconia slowly walked over to Anomen and Nalia. After a whispered conversation with the Helmite she lay the staff down next to Nalia's body and then returned to stand next to Jeral.

Yoshimo handed Jeral a thin dark blue wand.

"I also found this wand next to the mage who almost killed Nalia."

The front of the wand held a large clear crystal and inside of the crystal yellow flashes of electricity bounced around as if looking for a way to escape. Grinning widely Jeral recognized the wand instantly, for he carried an identical wand shortly after departing Candlekeep. Nodding his thanks Jeral tucked the wand into his pouch, confident that he would put it to good use.

Smiling Yoshimo pulled out a massive blood red gen stone from his pouch and showed it to the others.

"I have one last item of note. This has to be the gem that Tagget mentioned."

The beautiful gem took Jeral's breath away as he stared at it. It was the most spectacular gem that Jeral had ever seen and it overflowed Yoshimo's palm.

"I agree Yoshimo. According to Tagget we need to destroy that stone to free the thralls from their enchanted collars."

"Far be it from me to disagree with a gnome Jeral, but this stone is more valuable than any stone I have ever seen. You must understand I have seen many valuable gems in the course of my travels, but believe me when I say that I have never seen a stone such as this. Its value is almost beyond comprehension. We could purchase a large portion of Baldur's Gate with this stone. You could raise an army; you could likely bribe the Cowled wizards to free your sister. You could hire so many guards that no one would ever bother you again. This stone could change your entire life for the better."

Jeral shook his head and forced himself to look away from the radiant stone.

"Yoshimo, we need to get home. To do so we need to kill the Warden and free the thralls."

"Not correct Jeral. We need to kill this Warden and then find the Raelis and the others to operate the portal and return home. The thralls are not critical."

"Jeral would not allow slaves to remain behind. Jeral is a hero for goodness."

Jeral patted Minsc on the shoulder as he looked sternly at Yoshimo.

"Yoshimo, Imoen would never forgive me if I sacrificed so many innocents to free her. So let me make it clear; we are destroying the gem, freeing the thralls, killing the Warden and rescuing the actors. Then and only then we will return home."

"Jeral is right Yoshimo. If nothing else freeing the thralls will provide allies in the fight to come. With Nalia weakened we may need all the help we can get. It has been long enough, I will get Nalia up and about."

Viconia strolled over to stand next to Anomen and Nalia. The young mage was looking better, her breath had returned to normal and she looked like she was sleeping peacefully. Viconia pulled a small vial from her belt and handed it to Anomen.

"Make her drink this; it will get her up and about."

Anomen unstoppered the small vial and gently tipped it up to her lips. Nalia sat bolt upright as if dunked in an ice cold stream. Her eyes open wide and she looked around wildly before locking eyes with Anomen.

"Where am I?"

Anomen gripped her tightly as she shuddered with fear and realization of what she had just gone through.

"How can I be here? I, I, I died. I was struck by the lightning and I died. I felt pain sear through my body and then it started to shut down, after that everything went black."

"Shhhhhhhh, worry not Nalia. You are very much alive."

Her eyes opened wide. "The rod! You brought me back to life with that rod we found didn't you?"

Before Anomen could reply Nalia grabbed his head with both hands and pulled him in close for a deep, long, passionate kiss. The Helmite hesitated for an instant before responding in kind as the pair engaged in a deep embrace.

The other four stared open mouth at the young couple groping one another on the floor.

"Does this mean little Nalia likes her new staff?"

Yoshimo laughed out loud as the large ranger looked questioningly at Jeral.

"Yes Minsc, I am sure she likes the staff very much."

Viconia strolled over to Nalia and Anomen and cleared her throat loudly. Getting no response she leaned down and forcefully pulled the pair apart.

They both looked up at her, panting heavily, faces flushed with excitement.

"This is neither the time nor the place for such a display of affection. We are in a dangerous prison on another plane and have much to do. So please stop pawing at one another and get up."

Blushing, the pair quickly got to their feet. Nalia leaned heavily on Anomen for support. Viconia bent down and picked the staff up off the floor. She handed it to Nalia.

"Use this for support until you fully regain your strength Nalia. Jeral has assured us that it is enchanted and not dangerous for the user."

Nalia gratefully took the staff and took a few tentative steps. Leaning heavily on the staff, she made her way around the room and then nodded grimly.

"I am ready to continue."

Anomen quickly placed his helm back on his head and then picked up his shield and the Flail of Ages. He moved to stand next to Nalia.

"My lady, I shall protect you with my life. And when we return to the city of coin I plan to court you officially."

Smiling broadly she looked up at the tall plate clad Helmite, "And I look forward to our courtship. First you save my life and now you offer to court me, this is quite the day."

Anomen nodded in disagreement.

"Lady Nalia, your life was saved by Viconia not me. When you fell, it shames me to say that I lost myself in rage and attacked every enemy I could find. Jeral managed to take the rod from me and get it to Viconia. She brought you back from the other side. I am not sure I could have done the same."

Nalia gazed at Viconia in wonder.

"I had no idea. It seems I owe you my life Viconia."

Viconia shrugged and twirled her war hammer.

"Think nothing of it young one; I cannot manage with this lot as the only female. Your presence here is required."

"Never the less Viconia I must thank you for saving my life."

Chuckling Viconia walked past Nalia and patted her gently on the shoulder.

"If you wish to thank me then thank me, but please save your kisses for Anomen. While I am not opposed to spending time with women, you are far too pure for a woman with my skills and experience."

Nalia blushed furiously and mumbled her thanks as she leaned heavily on her staff and looked over at Jeral.

"So what is the plan now Jeral?"

"Well now that you are up and about Nalia I think we destroy the gem, kill the Warden, find those we came to find and go home."

"Ahhhhhhh a simple plan from a simple mind."

"Do you have a better plan Viconia?"

Viconia sighed heavily.

"Unfortunately no. Lead on Jeral and let us see what awaits."

"Very well, Anomen would you mind trotting back the way we came and destroy the gem?"

Anomen nodded gravely and reverently took the gem out of Yoshimo's extended arm. Smiling once at Nalia, Anomen raced off back down the corridor.

After a few moments the entire prison rocked violently from side to side. Nalia fell to the floor while the others struggled to keep their feet. The rocking abruptly ceased and was soon replaced by cries echoing across the prison. Voices of men and women calling out in glee carried down the halls. Their cries were quickly overtaken by the sounds of battle. The clash of weapons soon echoed down the halls. It was loudest down the hallway before them.

"The prisoners are fighting for their freedom! We must aid them in their quest! Come Boo we shall make this Warden taste the blade of justice!"

Minsc drew his massive war blade and sprinted off down the hall bellowing a Rashemite war cry. Bizarrely, his sword parroted back the same chant in a high pitched nasally voice. Shaking his head in resignation, Jeral drew his blades and started trotting off down the hall after the large ranger.

"So much for anything resembling a plan," he mumbled as they moved along.

As they moved down a long hallway they passed a number of the pulsing traps on the floor. With each step the sounds of combat grew louder and louder. The party soon rounded a corner and paused at the opening to a massive circular chamber. It was clearly a throne room and home of the Warden. A massive black chair sat atop a mound of bones; thousands of bones from different creatures, some familiar, some so bizarre as to defy description. Before they could take in any more of the room their eyes were drawn to the swirling melee in front of the throne. Dozens of freed slaves were fighting the Warden and his guards. The Warden was a massive winged demon almost twice the size of Minsc. Flanking him were a quartet of minotaurs, two yuan ti, and a trio of umber hulks.

Minsc charged into the melee, roaring gleefully as his massive two handed sword tore into one of the umber hulks. Jeral drew his blades and charged into the scrum. Anomen kissed Nalia on the check and then followed Jeral into the melee. Yoshimo started shooting arrows at the taller creatures while Nalia cast spell after spell at the Warden's bodyguards. Viconia hung back standing guard over Nalia as she observed the raging battle going on in front of her.

The Warden stood at the very center of the battle. He wielded a long sword in his right hand and a wicked looking scythe in the left. He waded through the freed slaves cutting them down in waves with each massive swing of his blades. The beast tore into one of the closest slaves and ripped the poor man's head clean off his torso. Blood poured over the creature as the Warden paused and devoured his victim in the middle of the fight.

Anomen and Minsc defeated the umber hulks while Jeral and a few of the thralls brought down the yuan ti. The remaining thralls attacked the minotaurs while Minsc, Anomen and Jeral faced off against the Warden. The creature spread its wings wide and grinned at the trio standing in front of him. The massive jaws dripped blood and bits of flesh as he mocked the trio.

"Pathetic humans! You think you can defeat me here? In my own home! The bravery of human fools knows no bounds.

Anomen bellowed at the creature with each swing of his flail.

"We have defeated your servants, your guards are dead or dying, and you will soon join them! By Helm I swear it."

"You have done nothing; all your feeble efforts will make no difference. My servants matter not. They are easily replaced. I can just as easily find more slaves. Perhaps I will visit your plane and enslave everyone in that pathetic city of yours."

Anomen roared in anger and charged in swinging the Flail of Ages. The Warden contemptuously parried his attacks and counterattacked with mighty strikes of his own. Anomen backpedaled steadily as he blocked each strike with his shield. The Warden lashed out with his scythe, aiming at Anomen's head. Anomen frantically raised his shield to block the strike and the scythe blade punched right through the heavy oaken shield and tore into Anomen's forearm. Anomen stifled a cry of pain as he staggered back, away from the massive Warden and his blades.

Before the Warden could follow up his attack on the injured Helmite, Minsc launched forward and rained blow after blow on the Warden. The pair traded blows and roared at one another. Jeral stepped forward and added his blades to the attack on the Warden. Despite the numerical disadvantage the Warden easily managed to parry their attacks while still managing to get in a few strikes of his own. The Warden attacked with an overhand blow and Jeral crossed his blades over his head to parry the attack. The force of the blow sent shock waves up his arms as he struggled to keep the blade away from his unprotected head. The Warden leaned forward and slowly bent Jeral's arms back. The Warden's blade traced a thin line across Jeral's forehead and Jeral shivered as the blade seemed to feed on Jeral's blood. The Warden's eyes widened in delight as he stared at Jeral with new found wonder and respect in his eyes.

"Something in your blood is just delightful manling. You are going to live a long and unpleasant life as my servant and personal food source."

The Warden lurched forward to snap at Jeral's neck. Jeral flung himself backwards and the Warden's jaws missed by inches. Minsc redoubled his attack and was joined by Anomen who had taken the time to heal his injured arm. The pair of large plate clad warriors systematically struck at the Warden. Nalia launched a brace of magic missiles that tore holes into the Warden's left wing. The winged demon roared in anger more than pain and redoubled his attacks against the men in front of him.

Anomen, Jeral, and Minsc all charged in and attacked the Warden. Despite his massive size and strength the Warden started to bleed from a number of small wounds as the trio managed to get inside his guard and land the occasional blow. Jeral, Minsc and Anomen all bled from numerous wounds as the Warden's blades repeatedly found their mark. Out of arrows, Yoshimo tossed down his short bow, drew his katana and ran forward to assist the others. Viconia hefted her war hammer and followed after him. The five of them started to attack the Warden from all sides. The creature attacked with blades, wings and teeth while the party struck back with blades, flail, and war hammer.

Furious the Warden struck out with its scythe in a low sweeping blow. Viconia and Yoshimo nimbly leapt over the blade, but Jeral was not as quick and the scythe sliced deeply into Jeral's right lower leg. The scythe tore through his boot and trousers and cut deep, shattering the bone. Jeral cried out in pain, dropped his blades, and fell to the floor. The Warden attempted to wrench his scythe out of Jeral's leg and finish him off, but the blade was embedded too deeply into the bone to move. Taking advantage of the pause Viconia stepped forward and struck at the Warden's shoulder. Her war hammer slammed into its shoulder and the creature roared in pain. Yoshimo struck out and slashed through the creature's wing with his katana.

Wildly the creature lashed out with the long sword clenched in its right arm. Minsc parried the blow, quickly reversed his grip, and hacked down viciously. The Warden's right arm fell to the ground, still clutching the blood drenched long sword. The Warden attempted to rise in the air but could not fly due to its damaged wings. Anomen stepped forward and smashed downwards with his flail. The three enchanted flail heads smashed into the Warden's head and crushed it like an overripe piece of fruit. The Warden staggered about for a second and fell to the floor.

As the massive creature fell a silence descended over the throne room; the only sound was the panting of the party members and the remaining thralls as they struggled to catch their breath. Jeral lay on the ground in a pool of his own blood. As he forced the Warden's blade out of his leg Jeral called upon his own powers to staunch the worst of the bleeding. Viconia sauntered over and kicked Jeral's leg with the tip of her boot. Jeral writhed in agony and glared up at Viconia.

"Not very stoic are we Jeral? That is but a flesh wound. It is a pity that your shiny new armor does not extend below your knees. You may want to consider boots with metal reinforcement. That works well for me male."

Smirking, Viconia knelt down and called upon her powers and Jeral felt a familiar cool sensation wash over his body as the bone and flesh repaired themselves in an instant. Jeral mumbled his thanks and struggled to his feet. His throat felt painfully dry and his lips were cracked and painful, the heat in the prison was wearing on him. After recovering his blades he stared around the room and took in the carnage all around him.

The Warden and his bodyguards lay in piles on the floor. Their many different colors of blood pooled into an unholy mass of brown ooze that coated a large portion of the floor. Dozens of bodies, and parts of bodies, lay strewn across the throne room. The red blood of the men and women mixed with the foul ooze from the beasts. The Warden and his bodyguards had torn through the recently freed thralls leaving only a handful of badly wounded man and women who somehow managed to survive. Anomen and Viconia moved through the wounded thralls and worked to keep them alive. The pair quickly exhausted their spells and soon started working with rags to bandage the others as best they could.

Seemingly unaffected by the carnage all around him, Yoshimo wandered around the room rifling through the corpses and recovering those few spent arrows that were undamaged. After partially refilling his quiver he paid extra attention to the Warden's corpse and the area around his massive throne. After completing his search he walked up to Jeral holding a small coin purse that bulged at the seams, a large sack of coins, and the Warden's long sword; now safely held in an ornate scabbard. Smiling, he tossed the coin purse to Jeral and handed the heavy sack of coins to Minsc. After Jeral tucked away the coin purse Yoshimo bowed formally and handed over the blade hilt first.

"This blade is definitely worth a look Jeral. You or Nalia need to examine it very carefully."

Jeral extended his hand and wrapped it around the pommel. As his fingers closed on the pommel grip a wave of energy raced through his entire body. Jeral's eyes rolled into the back of his head and his body spasmed violently as visions of battle formed in his mind. In each of the visions Jeral was a mighty warrior at the center of a massive battle. Jeral strode across the battlefield wielding his new sword and cutting down all who opposed him. He watched as the scene changed and he hewed through men, women and children. The scene had changed from one of a battle to one of a slaughter of innocents. Jeral recoiled in horror at the visions before him and he opened his hand, dropping the sword to the floor and backing away from it.

"What is wrong Jeral? That sword should work well for you."

Shaking his head Jeral kicked at the blade with the toe of his boot. "I don't want it. Don't touch it though, it is far too dangerous for anyone to handle."

"Very well Jeral." Shrugging his shoulders Yoshimo pulled out a strange key and held it out on display, "I also found this."

"That must be the key for the prison at the end of that hall."

Yoshimo and Jeral turned to look at Anomen who was pointing down the hallway at the far side of the room.

"How could you possibly know that?"

"Easy Jeral, this fine fellow just told me."

Anomen patted the blood drenched shoulder of the man sitting next to him. The badly injured man had lost an arm above the elbow fighting the Warden. Anomen was unable to reattach it but did keep the man alive by taking some rags off a corpse and making a crude tourniquet.

Yoshimo twirled the key around deftly in his fingers and then tossed it to Nalia with a flourish.

"Our patron of the arts should see to the actors."

Nalia smiled and limped down the hall, leaning heavily in her staff. Minsc followed silently behind her, ready to protect Nalia from any possible threat. Using the cell key Haer'Dalis and the others were quickly freed. Raelis Shai and her companions were overjoyed at the turn of events and profusely thanked the party for their rescue. After a short pause they opened the portal and allowed everyone the opportunity to depart and return to their home place. Most of the freed slaves agreed to follow Jeral and the others through, but a few brave souls asked to follow Raelis and the others to their home and embrace what lay in the unknown.

While everyone was getting organized Jeral walked over to stand beside the Warden's long sword and stared at it on the ground. Something about the weapon gnawed at him. Carefully he bent down and picked up the blade by the scabbard. As he examined the blade he felt energy run through his body. Something within the sword was calling to him, even though the blade was safely sheathed in its scabbard. Jeral tore of a scrap of his battered tunic and wrapped it around his hand. He then slowly drew the blade out a few inches from the scabbard and examined it closely.

 _Hello Godchild._

Jeral looked around wildly, searching for the voice he just heard.

 _You lack your father's wisdom and understanding, that is to be expected for you are only a shadow of the true power._

Jeral's eyes widened as he realized that the voice was in his head and was coming from the blade he held in his hands.

 _Perhaps you are not as dim as I initially thought Godchild. As you have now surmised I am no ordinary sword, I contain part of your father's soul. Anyone who wields me in battle becomes incredibly powerful. They are blessed with the power to resist any form of mind control. Additionally, I draw life force from any I strike and I transfer it to the user. Should one with his divine blood wield me then I will become even more powerful than I was before. No one could stand before us._

Jeral started walking as he eyed the sword. He noticed that there were small grinning skulls surrounded by tear drops etched into the blade in a repeating pattern. Bhaal's holy symbol was omnipresent on the blade. It was an incredibly powerful weapon. But Jeral realized it was also an incredibly dark and bloodthirsty weapon as well. Could Jeral control the blade? Could he control his blood if the darkness of the blade added to his powers?

Jeral was still asking himself those questions as he dropped the blade, pommel first, into the pit of flames. The flames leapt up and eagerly embraced the blade. Jeral took a small step back as the heat flared up and threatened to consume him. He watched the blade start to melt and heard the terrible screams of rage and pain echo through his head as the blade - and some small part of Bhaal - was destroyed. He remained staring at the flames for a long time after the blade went silent and disappeared from sight. Wearily, Jeral turned around and headed back to the throne room to rejoin Raelis and the others. Even though he was sure he did the right thing the decision still weighed heavily upon his mind as he retraced his steps through the prison.

After another journey through the portal they arrived back in the theatre under the Five Flagons Inn. Over three score freed thralls came through the portal after them, many barely clinging to life. Raelis and Haer'Dalis had gone through the prison offering all the thralls an opportunity to depart the prison. Sadly, hundreds had died in their uprising against the Warden and the guards, so there were far fewer embracing freedom than they had hoped.

Anomen sprinted upstairs and soon the theatre was filled with halflings providing food and strong ale to the emaciated people who survived the Warden's prison. Many were little more than flesh and bones but they gratefully sipped at the warm broth and the ale provided by the attentive halflings. Bentley sent runners to the local temple and soon half a dozen acolytes of Illmater tended to the injured, allowing Viconia and Anomen to get some well deserved rest.

Bentley strode up to Jeral and patted him affectionately on the back.

"Well done lad. You and your friends freed all these poor people from a fate worse than death."

Jeral nodded tiredly in response. Bentley clasped his hands nervously and eyed Jeral with shame in his eyes.

"Uh, not to be indelicate Jeral but what are we going to do with all of them? I am happy to provide food and shelter for a day or so but I cannot do more beyond that."

Jeral looked down at the halfling and thought hard for a second.

"Bentley, please send a runner to Hendak in the Copper Coronet. He can help provide for all these people. As a man who was recently freed from slavery himself I am sure he will aid us."

"Aye that seems like as wise an approach as any."

Bentley whistled shrilly and sent a young pair of halflings running off to the Copper Coronet with a message for the owner.

Jeral felt incredibly drained from his experiences with the Warden, the prison, and the enchanted blade he destroyed. Looking around he realized that everyone was in good hands and his presence was no longer needed. Quietly he trudged upstairs to the common room of the Five Flagons and sat down heavily in an unoccupied booth. He quickly ordered and consumed a large mug of dark ale and a large mug of cool water. Leaving a large pile of gold coins on the table he reserved six rooms upstairs and trudged off to bed. Jeral did not even have the energy to take off his armor or boots and just collapsed into bed.

Jeral dreamt of blood that night, but eventually the dreams faded and he drifted into a deep slumber. He knew that whatever darkness lay before him, he would not have to face it alone.


	16. A good tailor

_Apologies for the delay between chapters. Life gets busy sometimes and something has to give. Next chapter should post much sooner._

Chapter 16: A good tailor

Jeral woke to the warmth of the early morning sun as it shone on his face. Ruefully, he realized that he neglected to close the shutters in his room the night before. After splashing some water on his face and running his fingers through his grimy hair he quietly made his way downstairs. He scanned the common room at the Five Flagons and did not see anyone from his group; in fact he saw only a handful of patrons in the entire common room. That was not surprising since their experiences in the planar prison took a lot out of all of them. Once the portal returned them to the tavern the staff of the Five Flagons was up very late caring for the freed slaves. Jeral grabbed a large mug of tea and a heel of bread from the kitchen and walked back to the Copper Coronet, enjoying the early morning air. The streets were not yet packed with people begging or hawking their wares and the temperature was still pleasant.

As he entered the Copper Coronet he was surprised to see that, unlike the Five Flagons, the Coronet was a hive of activity as Hendak and his staff worked to get the freed slaves settled in. Jeral settled himself into one of the few open tables in the room, ordered a large breakfast, and sat back to quietly observe the commotion all around him. Hendak and his men had clearly worked through the night to care for the freed slaves. Every man and woman was attired in new clothes and well made boots; and each had a pack of supplies and other gear close at hand. From the snippets of conversation that he overheard Jeral learned that Hendak had already made plans for a large contingent of refugees to depart the next day for the village of Nashkel in the far North of Amn.

He also learned that a small number of men and women wanted to stay and live in Athkatla. Jeral imagined that those few were enamored by the possibility of excitement in the big city. Over breakfast Hendak requested that Jeral write a letter to the mayor, Berrun Ghastkill, asking that he allow these people to settle in his village. Jeral was only too happy to oblige. As Jeral took quill to parchment he thought back to his studies at Candlekeep and managed to block out all of his worries and concerns for a few short moments. Writing always brought Jeral peace and this time was no exception.

As Jeral reviewed his letter he was confident that the mayor would accommodate his request. Nashkel was still recovering from all the casualties in the mines during the iron crisis. A few score hardworking men and women would help the town regain some sense of energy and hope for the future. Hendak was not taking any chances with their safety; he was sending a dozen heavily armed guardsmen to accompany the refugees. The well trained former gladiators were all accomplished pit fighters so the caravan would be secure indeed. Jeral provided each refugee 20 gold and also provided 500 gold for the mayor of Nashkel to allow him to set aside homesteads for all those who wanted one. Jeral knew the Imoen would expect him to do no less.

Smiling contentedly Jeral leaned back in his chair as he clenched a steaming mug of coffee in his hands and continued to take in the scene around him. By the time he was on his second cup Anomen, Minsc, and Yoshimo strolled in and joined Jeral at the table. After ordering a large breakfast for the late arrivals the trio settled in for breakfast and ate heartily. Jeral realized that Viconia and Nalia were nowhere in sight. Seeing the questioning look on Jeral's face Anomen brushed crumbs from his beard and replied to the unasked question.

"I fear that the Lady Nalia is still very weak from her experiences in the Warden's prison. Viconia is tending to her at the Five Flagons and stated that Nalia would be well enough to return to the Copper Coronet tomorrow."

"I would have assumed that you would have tended to her Anomen."

Anomen blushed beet red and looked down at his steaming mug of tea. Mumbling he spoke without looking up, "I did offer my services but Nalia wished to bathe and change into some clean clothes, therefore it was inappropriate for me to provide such assistance."

Jeral chuckled at the squire's discomfort. It was apparent to everyone in the group that Anomen was in love with Nalia. Jeral thought Nalia felt the same way but he knew enough about women to realize that he knew nothing about women. So until Nalia spoke her mind everything else was just a guess. She seemed excited for Anomen to court her so that looked like a good sign.

"Well it looks like it is just the four of us today. Any suggestions on what we should do?"

Yoshimo cleared his throat and drummed his fingers on the table. "Ah, my apologies Jeral but may I take today for myself?"

"Of course Yoshimo, anything I can help with?"

Yoshimo waved a hand dismissively. "Nothing important Jeral, I just feel like taking a day to restock on arrows and other minor equipment. I can manage on my own, farewell."

Nodding his thanks Yoshimo grabbed a large slice of fresh baked bread, slathered some berry preserve on it, and strolled out of the tavern.

"Well it is just the three of us then." Boo sat up on the table and squeaked excitedly at Minsc.

"Thank you for reminding me of my commitments Boo. Minsc will not be able to travel with Jeral and Anomen today."

"What's going on Minsc?"

"Hendak and Bernard need the aid of Minsc. The tavern is very busy and full of guests most days. They wish to create more space for guests. They have hired men to add a floor of rooms above the stables in back. The main support beams are very heavy so they have asked if Minsc can help lift them and hold them in place while the workmen secure them. Since Hendak is also a hero for goodness Minsc was happy to help."

Minsc gulped down his mead, picked Boo up, perched him on his shoulder, and lumbered out of the common room.

Jeral and Anomen stared at one another in silence for a few moments. Jeral leaned back and stretched, took a final sip of coffee, and smiled at the Helmite.

"Well my good Squire Anomen, it looks like it is just the two of us today. What do you suggest we do?"

Anomen scratched his beard thoughtfully for a minute.

"This may work out for the best Jeral. I believe we both have need of some new equipment. My shield is battered beyond repair and your boots are in need of replacement as well."

Smiling Jeral lifted his left leg and dropped it on the table, clattering the dishes as he did so.

"My left boot is fine Anomen; the Warden just damaged the right one. Still, you do have a point. Why don't we run our errands in the shopping district and after that we can search for this artist your Temple wants you to recruit."

"That is an excellent idea Jeral. But first I would suggest that we both bathe and make ourselves as presentable as possible. If we are traveling to the better parts of town we cannot look disreputable else we will have problems moving about freely. The guards in the better parts of town have orders to keep out the poor and the unclean."

Seeing the wisdom in Anomen's words Jeral called for baths for Anomen and himself. He also requested a barber to provide him a haircut and shave. Afterwards, feeling rested and refreshed, Jeral put on his cleanest set of remaining clothes and hurried downstairs to meet up with Anomen.

The pair strolled to the merchant district and headed straight towards the Adventurer's Mart. After a bit of haggling Anomen had replaced his battered oaken shield with a lightly enchanted one made of metal. It was far lighter than his old shield and would hold up better against the dangers they faced. After stocking up on more healing potions Jeral and Anomen left the shop.

"Where to now Jeral?"

"I need some new clothes, and I need a new pair of boots, preferably with some protection built in them. Is there a place around her you would recommend?"

"I am not one for fashion, such as it is Jeral. I have my armor and the Order sees to my other needs."

"Surely you must know someplace, you have lived here all your life."

Anomen thought for a long moment before striding purposely away. Jeral hurried to catch up to the Helmite as he strode though the crowds. "I assume you remembered a place."

Anomen grimly nodded and continued walking forward with a sense of purpose.

"Aye. I did."

The pair started climbing steps as they headed for a door on the top level of the tiered promenade. When they reached the upper level they walked along the walkway until they came to a dark green door with silver stars painted in a spiral pattern on the door. Anomen lightly ran a hand over the door, tracing the pattern made by the silver stars. Anomen took a deep breath, placed a hand on the door handle and paused.

"This is the shop of Salumon and his sons. They are the finest clothiers in the land and specialize in unusual requests."

Jeral looked doubtful as he eyed the Helmite. "Anomen I cannot see myself modeling the latest in Amnian high fashion. Those high necked shirts with the puffy sleeves and the tight buttoned collars would choke the life out of me. And don't get me started about all the men parading around in those tights."

Anomen laughed knowingly as he opened the door to the shop.

"Trust me Jeral this is the place for you to shop."

A small bell on the door frame gently tinkled as the pair stepped into a cozy sitting room. Everything in the room spoke to a neat and well organized tailor shop. There were three comfortable chairs, each with an accompanying foot stool and side table. One entire wall was full of shelves of fabrics while the other wall was nothing but mirrors from the floor to ceiling. A large chandelier with over three score candles provided more than enough light for the room. A table held dozens of pairs of scissors, long knitting needles and lengths of measuring string.

As Jeral was taking in the room one of the mirrors slid to the side and an elderly man walked into the sitting room. He was almost as tall as Jeral, but age had rounded his back so he stooped forward badly. What little hair that remained on his head was white and wispy thin. He shuffled into the room, walked right up to Anomen, and embraced him in a surprisingly firm embrace. Anomen returned the hug awkwardly and the pair remained in an embrace for a long moment before the elderly man released his hold and stepped back.

Jeral was stunned to see that the old man was crying. The man blew his nose loudly on a silk kerchief and looked at Anomen with a quivering chin.

"I was so sorry to hear about your sister Anomen. The sun shines a little less bright due to her loss. I miss her, we all miss her."

Anomen nodded stiffly and formally addressed the elderly man.

"Master Salumon, may I present Jeral of Candlekeep. He is a good man and has need of some of your finest attire."

The elderly tailor immediately straightened up, smoothed out his short waisted jacket and eyed Jeral critically. "I am glad you brought this gentleman here to me Squire Anomen. Serian, Sobias, come here. We have customers."

Within seconds a pair of men a few years younger than Jeral came out to aid the old men.

"May I present my grandsons, Serian and Sobias. They are apprenticing here to learn the trade. Please remove your armor so I may get proper measurements. You are quite safe here."

Jeral quickly took off his chain mail and his blades and draped them over a chair in the corner of the room.

"Looking down at Jeral's tattered boot he motioned to the footwear, "remove those as well, I can also craft you new boots."

"Master Salumon, Jeral could benefit from some metal worked into the boots to offer his lower legs some protection."

Nodding knowingly the elderly tailor eyed Jeral's mangled boot, quickly took Jeral's measurements, and then stepped back.

"So what do we need my good man?"

"I suppose I need two jackets - one longer for traveling and one around waist length for in and around town. I also require a half a dozen shirts, same number of pants, say a dozen under garments, same number of socks and a couple pair of boots. My clothes are little more than rags right now."

"Any specific requirements young man?"

"The jackets should hang properly if I am wearing my armor of if I go without. They should not interfere with me drawing my blades. They should also resist soiling as much as possible, specifically blood should not leave a stain for I seem to bleed a lot."

"Very well, very well. What are your color preferences?"

"Black, dark grey, and red."

"Hardly cheerful my boy, but I can work with that. Those colors make the blood stains less of a concern. No problem at all."

"When will they be ready good my good master tailor?"

"Well I can have them ready within a week for 200 gold or by tomorrow for 500."

"How can you possibly make so many clothes in one day?"

"It is quite simple actually. The additional coin purchases some potions of speed to make me work faster. I have to sleep for a day afterwards but the process works very well."

"Tomorrow it is then." Jeral handed over a purse heavy with coin.

The tailor hefted it in his palm and frowned. "This is too much. You have far more than 500 gold here."

"You are correct sir. Squire Anomen will also require some clothes."

Anomen looked at Jeral in confusion. "Jeral, I have no need of any personal clothing. The Order sees to all my needs."

Ignoring Anomen Jeral smiled and addressed the elderly tailor directly.

"As I was saying Master Salumon, our good squire here plans on courting a young woman of nobility and cannot do so in a set of full plate mail and a tunic from the Order."

Smiling widely Salumon rubbed his hands together and grabbed his measuring tapes. "Nothing would make me happier. Please remove your armor Anomen. Come here boys."

Aided by Salumon's grandsons Anomen slowly removed his armor and his heavily padded under tunic and piled it neatly in one corner of the room. Salumon took measurements and then started making notations on a small chalk board in the corner. He eyed Anomen critically and smiled broadly.

"Well from what I hear from the society gossips the Lady Nalia is lovely, you have excellent taste Anomen, your sister would be very happy for you."

Anomen blushed and shifted from foot to foot as he looked down at the floor as the elderly tailor continued.

"But if I recall correctly she is already spoken for from the eldest Roenall boy."

"Lady Nalia has declared she will never marry that man."

"Well so long as another man will speak up for her. I am sure she will be happy with you Anomen."

"Master Salumon, Anomen has no interest in any of the current Amnian high fashion, he needs well made clothes but they must be very traditional and appropriate for a man of high station."

Anomen frowned and ran a hand over the back of his head.

"Jeral I am no man of high station. I am a squire from a disgraced merchant family. I should not, can not, reach above my station."

Jeral shook his head and locked eyes with Anomen. "Anomen, you are a priest of the Temple of Helm, a member of a merchant family and a Squire in the Order of the Radiant Heart. You will soon likely become of a knight of that self same order. You are more than a match for Nalia and a man deserving of respect. The lady clearly cares for you, if those feelings develop into more who are you to argue? Women know their own minds, as men we just go along with it."

The tailor clapped delightedly. "Well said Jeral, you have quite the way with words. Squire Anomen, what colors do you prefer for you courting attire?"

"I…I…I do not know good sir. It has been years since I have had to dress myself. Moira used to pick out my clothes."

Jeral made the decision for Anomen. "Make his attire silver and dark green. That will match with Anomen's coloring and they are colors that will go well with Nalia's attire."

"Very well Jeral, I will have Anomen's clothes ready tomorrow as well."

"How much for his attire master tailor?"

"No charge for his courting clothes, your additional coin will cover the cost of additional potions. Anomen is family; this is the least I can do for him."

Anomen nodded his thanks and quickly started putting his armor back on. Jeral hastily dressed and the pair departed the shop together.

"Anomen, I do not mean to pry….."

Anomen sighed heavily and slouched his mail clad shoulders, "of course you do Jeral. Very little remains private from those who travel, live and fight together."

"Well then, what is it with you and the tailor? Is he family?"

"Yes and no Jeral. It is complicated."

"Well we have nothing else to do today so you may as well start talking."

"What about paying a visit to Sir Sarles? I still have a tasking from the church."

"Looking like this? You are in a soiled tunic and my clothes are not suitable for a meeting with someone of high station. If we hope to win him over then we cannot visit him unless and until we look far more presentable. We will need to wait until we get our new clothes tomorrow. So that leaves us with today. So tell me the story of you and the tailor, please."

"Very well. As you know my father's merchant house has taken a turn for the worse over time, due to his drinking and bad business decisions. I was serving as an acolyte in the temple and Moira felt the need to make some coin, for she hoped to save up enough money to make her own way in the world. My father took her working as a personal insult and spread word that no one should hire her or they would face his wrath. When the word got around no one would offer Moira an opportunity for it was not worth the trouble. Salumon was the only one who would not allow himself to be intimidated by my father and he hired her to work in his shop. Master Salumon is a good man. He had only sons, and his sons had only sons, so he took to Moira as is she was his own granddaughter. She said that her time working in his shop was some of the happiest of her too short life."

"Why did she leave his employ?"

"How do you know she left?"

"Just a sense I got from the tailor shop. She had not worked there for some time, had she?"

Anomen shook his head sadly. "Father finally lost patience with her and threatened to disown her and throw her out of the house if she did not quit. At her age it was against the law to live on her own without a husband so she could not leave his house unless she wished to marry or become an outcast. Either option was a step too far, even for an independent woman such as her. Reluctantly, she had to obey father's wishes and quit her position at the tailor shop."

"But before she quit she painted his shop door as a farewell gift did she not?"

Anomen's jaw dropped as he stared at Jeral. "How could you possible know that?"

"It is not that difficult to figure out Anomen. There were similar pictures in your home to the one on the door of the shop. Watching how you reacted to the door of the shop showed me that your sister must have painted it for it held deep meaning to you."

"Aye, it was painful to see it, but reminds me yet again why I love my sister."

"Let us return to the Copper Coronet. We have little to do until we get our new clothes everyone returns."

"So what should we do for the remainder of the day?"

Smiling Jeral patted Anomen on the shoulder. "Up for a little sparring good Squire? I could use the work. I have never sparred with someone who wields a flail so this is a good time for me to learn."

Anomen scratched his beard thoughtfully, "That could be an excellent way to spend the afternoon Jeral. I accept. Although I must warn you that I will not prove as soft an opponent as Yoshimo. I am well versed in serving in a shield wall in addition to individual combat."

"I will take my chances noble squire."

Smiling the pair made their way back to the Copper Coronet. After a quick lunch they headed to the gladiator arena.

"So how should we proceed Jeral?"

"Full armor and our own weapons; padded for some modicum of safety of course."

"I must protest Jeral; this is not a fair fight. Not only am I a warrior schooled in combat but I am clad in a full suit of enchanted plate mail and wield an incredibly powerful three headed flail. You have a chain mail shirt and a pair of swords. You have no chance Jeral, no chance at all."

Smiling Jeral strode over to wrap rags over his pair of blades, "I will take my chances good squire."

Jeral slowly opened his eyes and stared up at the wooden ceiling. As his vision slowly came into focus he was able to see each individual grain in the wood planks that made up the ceiling of the gladiator arena in the Copper Coronet. His head ached and he started to turn his head from side to side.

Rough, heavily callused hands firmly held his head in place. Hendak's deep voice cut through the fog in his head.

"Easy now lad, you took quite a blow. Head wound like that, I am amazed that you are not dead, by all rights you should be."

Jeral moaned in pain as he pushed Hendak's hands away. "I am harder to kill than I look."

Hendak chuckled and hauled Jeral to his feet. "Clearly. Anomen caved your skull in. Yet you are not dead."

"Of course I am not dead. Anomen healed me, didn't he?"

"No, no he did not." Hendak pointed to the far side of the room where Anomen lay sprawled out in the dirt.

"Is he all right?"

"He is fine laddie. You just knocked him out. That enchanted helm of his prevented you from doing any real damage. He will recover, although he may have a headache for some time."

"So what happened?"

"I only caught the very end. You two were sparring and you were really going at it, neither of you were holding back. There was an anger to your sparring as well as his. You were doing well but Anomen was doing better. You could not quite determine how best to defeat his flail and shield fighting style. Anomen got inside your guard and landed a crushing blow to your head with that flail of his."

"So then what?"

Hendak shook his head wonderingly. "Well that is when it really started to get interesting Bhaal child. He caved in the side of your skull; it looked like someone took a bite out of an apple. You staggered back for a second as your body struggled to function with the massive damage to your skull. Anomen, the noble Helmite that he is, immediately paused his attack and prepared to heal you. Before he could cast a spell you attacked him. It was all he could do to parry your attacks. You got stronger and stronger as you backed him across the room striking blow after terrible blow. As I watched, your head started to reshape itself and heal before my unbelieving eyes. Anomen was finally a step slow getting his shield up and you struck a blow against his helm. It stunned him and left him unable to defend himself. You struck again, and again. By the third blow to his head he was down and I had to knock you out to save his life; for you were not going to stop until he was dead."

Jeral gripped Hendak's forearm fiercely. "You have my thanks Hendak. Looks like you saved both of our lives. I am in your debt."

Smiling Hendak hugged Jeral and lifted him up off his feet. "Think nothing of it Jeral, you gave me my life back and for that I will be forever grateful."

Jeral felt tired, exhausted to his very core, and just wanted to rest. "Hendak, please forgive me but I am very tired. I am going to bed. Please convey my apologies to Anomen, I meant no harm."

"Very well, I will keep an eye on the squire until he wakes."

As Jeral started to walk away Hendak called out, "Remember Jeral I still want to spar with you again."

Jeral nodded wearily and headed upstairs.

Jeral slept late the next day and reluctantly made his way downstairs when hunger overcame his shame. He spied the others sitting around the table with the remains of breakfast strewn across the table. Nalia sat next to Anomen and held a cloth against the side of his face. As Jeral slowly walked up to the table everyone paused and eyed him warily. Anomen pulled his hands away from Nalia and slowly rose to his feet. He nervously looked at Jeral and cleared his throat. The side of Anomen's face was badly swollen and an ugly black and purple bruise covered his left eye.

"Jeral, I am glad to see that you are well. I apologize for my overzealousness during our practice session yesterday."

Jeral rubbed his hands together nervously as he looked shamed faced at the Helmite.

"Anomen, it is I who needs to apologize to you, not the other way around. I am fine. I apologize for losing my temper. I am glad to see that you are not badly injured."

"I have lost my temper in many a sparring session Jeral, that happens."

"I know Anomen, it does happen, but I - more than most - have to manage my temper, I could have killed you."

"Perhaps, but I came close to killing you as well. We shall both be more careful next time."

"Next time? How can you possibly wish to spar again?"

"I never shy away from a challenge Jeral. Besides, perhaps I can help us both learn to manage our tempers."

Viconia smacked the table and smirked at the pair as their eyes turned towards her. "Well if you two are done with your touching reunion what are the plans for today? Nalia is recovered enough to travel with us."

"Jeral and I have to pick up our clothes from the tailor. After that we should send a few of us to meet with Sir Sarles on behalf of the Temple."

Nalia sat up and smiled brightly.

"I can go Anomen. Sir Sarles knows me. My aunt purchased a piece of art from him when I was much younger. I will go meet with him. I am sure he will see me. I could use the fresh air and Viconia says I am well enough to move about again."

Jeral smiled and patted Minsc on a large mailed shoulder.

"Excellent idea Nalia. Take Minsc with you as your guard, we can all meet back here for dinner."

"And what shall Yoshimo and I do? I agree that neither of us is suitable for moving amongst high society. We would both cause quite the stir in their uptight lives."

"Viconia you are more than welcome to come with Anomen and myself."

"Watching you two shop? I can do without that. I am sure Yoshimo and I can fend for ourselves."

"Very well then Viconia, Yoshimo, enjoy a relaxing day. We will all meet back here for dinner."

Anomen and Jeral departed the Copper Coronet and headed back to the tailor's shop. The pair walked in companionable silence for some time. As the approached the tailor shop Jeral took a long look at Anomen's battered face as they walked side by side.

"Anomen, I have a question for you."

"Yes Jeral, what is it?"

"You are an accomplished healer, are you not?"

"I am Jeral, I can say with no false modesty that Helm has graced me with significant gifts."

"Would you say that Viconia is equally skilled at the healing arts?" Anomen looked around before responding.

"I will never say this to her but she is very skilled, perhaps even more so than I am."

"Then why did you not heal your face?"

Anomen looked at Jeral, a look of pure innocence on his face. "Why Jeral, I must have forgotten."

"Of course Anomen, It could not in any way be an effort to garner attention from the Lady Nalia, could it?"

Anomen just smiled slyly as he opened the door to the tailor shop.

Nalia sat stiffly at the table, red faced and shaking with anger.

"That Sir Sarles is a pompous windbag! I have met a lot of insufferable prats in my lifetime but that one is without peer. We are wasting our time with that one; he will never work for your church Anomen."

Anomen patted Nalia's forearm supportively.

"I am sorry that Sir Sarles was so unreasonable my lady. I am told that artists are often sensitive. Is there any way we can change his mind?"

"Sensitive? He is far beyond that, he is beyond arrogant! Why I have never seen anyone like him. It was all I could do to keep myself from striking him and I am a lady."

"Why did you get so angry Nalia?"

"Jeral, the man was just insufferable, I could not help myself. With all the real suffering in the world to listen to one so spoiled as him complain about nothing, I could not stand it!"

Anomen stroked her army soothingly and Nalia took a deep breath as she worked to control her temper as Anomen spoke quietly.

"So it sounds like the meeting went poorly. Is there any way that we can get Sir Sarles to work for my temple?"

"Anomen, he says that he requires 100 pounds of pure illithium for his muse. If he gets the ore he will work for your temple, otherwise he will not work for anyone."

Jeral leaned forward and looked at Nalia, a look of confusion on his face.

"I am not familiar with that ore. Is illithium expensive?"

Viconia snorted and drained her glass of wine.

"Jeral you have no idea. Illithium is more valuable than any ore you can imagine. It is tremendously valued for its use as a weapon. It has many properties, one of which is that it can make enchanted weapons even more powerful if it is added to them as a coating. 100 pounds of it will cost a king's ransom and that assumes we can find any. I say we ignore this petty artist and his outrageous demands and find a better use of our time."

"Viconia, I must request that we try and accomplish this task. I owe everything to the Temple of Helm and I must try and complete this task."

"Anomen is right Viconia, we have to try."

Viconia shrugged and poured herself another glass of wine. "Very well, we can continue this pointless quest."

"So where would we even start to look for that ore Viconia?"

Viconia just shrugged her shoulders. "This is not my city Jeral I have no idea."

Yoshimo tapped his glass on the table and spoke up, "Well this is not exactly my city either Viconia but I do believe I know where we need to look. Jeral, there is an ore merchant who can be found most days in the merchant's district. I believe her name is Jerila. If anyone in the city would know where to find the ore she would."

Jeral clapped his hands together and drained his ale. "Very well, we have a plan. Tomorrow we shall visit this Jerila and see about getting some illithium for Sir Sarles."

"Impossible! 100 pounds is a ridiculous request. I never get more than 50 pounds a month and that was before my supplier encountered some difficulties."

The ore merchant stomped her foot angrily on the stone platform of the merchant tier. Jerlia was an older, heavy set woman who dressed in dark grey robes and had her dark brown hair piled on top of her head in a large intricate bun. A quartet of heavily armed guards eyed the party warily and kept their hands close to their blades, clearly unsettled by their employer's distress.

"My lady our need is urgent and our cause is just. Isn't there anything you can do to assist us?"

"Squire Anomen, as I have told all of you already I cannot help you. My supplier had his last few loads stolen and does not expect any more for at least a month."

"May we contact your supplier directly? Perhaps he can provide us with a suggestion for way forward."

Smiling broadly Jerila crossed her hands under her ample bosom and eyed Jeral with a sneer.

"Well aren't you a cheeky one pretty. You have the audacity to try and cut me out of my own supply chain. I am not a simpleton so I shall have to say no."

"Calm yourself my lady for I mean no offense. We really do need to procure this ore and your source may be our only hope. We will, of course, compensate you for any inconvenience to your business."

She glared at Jeral and slowly arched an eyebrow as her complexion softened. "How well will you compensate me?"

"500 gold of compensation?"

Jerila tilted her head to the side, pursed her lips, and looked pensive for a long moment.

"1,000 gold for the name, not a coin less."

"Done."

Jeral pulled a heavy coin purse out of his pouch and tossed it to her. She greedily grabbed it out of the air and stuffed it smoothly into her bodice.

"I knew I should have asked for more coin." She sighed heavily and went on, "But a deal is a deal. Do you know a terrible place called the Copper Coronet?"

"I have heard of it." Jeral noted wryly.

"Well the place is a real disaster, just one big outhouse. And the clientele are even worse than the building itself. I heard that a recent change in management has not improved the place at all."

"Yes, yes I am sure it is just terrible. Who is your contact?"

"He is a dwarf by the name of Unger Hilldark. He can be found drinking to excess there most nights. He is not a terribly friendly fellow so I doubt that he will tell you anything."

Smiling Jeral turned on a heel and started to walk away. "Thank you for your time and for the information."

Jerila called out after the retreating group. "Well you may want to consider a backup plan just in case and I might have one for you."

Jeral paused mid stride and turned to look back at the ore merchant.

"I find it curious that you did not mention a backup plan until after I paid you a small fortune for your contact's name."

Smiling Jerila shrugged her meaty shoulders and uncrossed her arms.

"This is the city of coin. A lady has to make her way in the world and way she can dearie."

"Ok you have our interest, what is this backup plan of yours?"

Jeral strode back to stand before the ore merchant and her bodyguards.

"With a bit of effort I can fashion an alloy that is almost identical to illithium for a nominal fee. A fop like Sarles will never know the difference."

"And how much is this nominal fee?"

Anomen strode forward and placed himself between Jeral and the ore merchant.

"Jeral you cannot possibly consider such a dishonest course of action. We are working on behalf of the church, we cannot lie."

Smiling Jeral walked around Anomen, "and how much will this substitute cost?"

"200 gold should do. And since you have already provided me a bit of coin you do not have to pay for it until I deliver."

"How long until it would be ready?"

"I can meet you here two days hence with the ore."

"Agreed." The pair shook hands and Jeral turned and strode away.

Angrily Anomen rushed to catch up with Jeral and spun him around roughly. Red faced, he waived a gauntleted hand in front of Jeral.

"I will not be party to any effort to cheat the church Jeral. That is something I cannot, will not condone!"

Jeral flushed and felt his hands clench into fists.

"I am sure Jeral would never condone such an action either Squire Anomen."

Nalia quickly slid between the two men and forced both Anomen and Jeral back a step.

Before Jeral could respond, their conversation was interrupted by the sight of a small boy sprinting towards them. He skidded to a stop in front of the group and spent a moment doubled over as he struggled to catch his breath. As Jeral watched the child recover his wind he felt the anger wash out of his body and he relaxed his arms. Once the messenger regained the ability to speak he locked eyes with Jeral, bowed deeply, and extended a shaking arm.

"Sire Jeral? Sire Jeral, I carry a message from Lord Hendak."

"Lord Hendak is it? Well he sure has moved up in the world."

Chuckling to himself, Jeral accepted a rolled parchment from the messenger and tossed him a gold piece for his troubles. The lad's eyes open wide as he caught the gold coin and quickly scurried away, dodging left and right through the crowds. The thick parchment was sealed with green wax and tied with a dark blue ribbon. Jeral knew from the touch that the parchment was very expensive. Hendak must have kept Lehtinen's private stock, for he could not imagine the former gladiator spending coin on such an indulgence. Looking questioningly at the others Jeral untied the ribbon and dropped it to the ground. Unrolling the parchment Jeral started to read.

 _Jeral,_

 _I hope this message finds you and your friends well. My continued thanks for all your support, I owe you my life. Many are now free thanks to you and your friends. I was visited late last night by a representative of the slave lords. He threatened to burn the Copper Coronet to the ground, and to kill all the former slaves in the city, unless I pay 80,000 gold as compensation for their lost enterprise. Obviously we cannot, will not pay such a sum to people like that. I sent some of my best men after the representative as he departed, and they trailed him to what I assume is the slave lords' base of operations. The location is marked on the enclosed map. I implore you to introduce yourself to the slave lords in your very special way and close down their operations once and for all. I suspect they are well heeled with treasure and you would be well compensated for your efforts._

 _A humble request from a grateful innkeeper._

 _Needless to say the drinks would be on me until the end of time._

 _H_

Jeral silently passed the note around. All save Minsc read it.

Anomen spoke first, "Helm smiles upon us, where moments ago I was concerned we were going to cheat the church we now have an opportunity to do a real service for the city. We have an opportunity to carry the fight to the very top of the slavery operations here in Athkatla. I cannot believe the building is in the Temple District. To think such a hive of villainy is near so much goodness."

"We should go right now and administer a boot of justice to the evil doers."

Yoshimo crossed his arms and frowned, "Jeral, I must disagree with Minsc. We cannot face such men as these without preparation, without a plan. If we walk into their lair unprepared it will be a slaughter, our slaughter. In fact I am not sure we should cross men such as those in any situation. It is just too dangerous."

"Well we know what Minsc and Yoshimo think. What say the rest of you?"

"We have the favor of the church on our side and this is a sign from Helm for us to move quickly a strike on behalf of the virtuous."

"Spoken like a good Helmite. Nalia, what do you think?"

The young mage shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "We have most of our weapons and I have spells memorized, so I fail to see how much more we could prepare. Yoshimo and I lack our bows but we are all fully armed otherwise. They will not stop until we are all dead, we are already their enemies. That will not change."

"It matters not when we go, for they will be prepared and expecting us. You all know this is dangerous and foolhardy, but I know that Jeral will want to face this threat. Since we go where Jeral leads the decision is made, we go."

Viconia hefted her war hammer, grabbed the parchment out of Jeral's hand and quickly strode away, heading for the Temple District.

"Well I guess we are going now. Anomen, assuming we survive this we can continue our conversation about Sir Sarles at another time."

Jeral shook his head and trotted off in pursuit of Viconia and the other four soon followed.


	17. Assault on the Slave Lords

_Last chapter was pretty slow and character driven; this one is completely the other way around._

Chapter 17: Assault on the Slave Lords

The group reached the building marked on Hendak's map without incident. The slaver's headquarters was a large ornate building mixed in with the temples and the homes of some of the lesser nobility. The two story building towered over its neighbors for each level of the building was massive. The building was made of large blocks of a light grey stone and a blood red roof. Unlike the buildings to each side of it, the slaver's building had no visible guards standing out front.

"Jeral, how can we be sure this is the right building? I am reluctant to barge in on the home of a noble uninvited. That could get back to the Order and cost me dearly."

"This is the right building noble squire, of that there can be no doubt."

Everyone turned to look at Yoshimo as he started at the building with a worried expression on his face.

"Yoshimo please explain."

"Jeral, look at the stone work under the third window from the left on the upper level."

Jeral followed Yoshimo's outstretched arm and shrugged his shoulders, "Ok, I see some random marks. What about them?"

"Those are three perfectly parallel lines etched in the stonework under that window. They were deliberately placed; nothing accidental could have created them."

Anomen snorted impatiently as he adjusted the grip on his flail.

"What is your point Yoshimo? Some arrogant stone mason could have etched his initials there. It could be anything."

"Squire Anomen it is exactly as I said. Those are the marks indicating that a building is completely off limits to the guild. Should any member of the guild conduct any operations against the house they will be on their own."

Jeral slid between the two men before Anomen could reply angrily.

"Wait a minute Yoshimo, are you telling me that the thieves guild is in league with the slavers in Athkatla?"

Yoshimo quickly shook his head, "No Jeral, it is not like that, as I have said before slavery is an enterprise the guild does not support. However, the guild master has declared many prominent buildings off notice. One mark indicates a building pays for protection from the guild, two marks indicates a building is off limits for reasons known only to the leadership of the guild."

"And what does three marks indicate Yoshimo?" Nalia asked breathlessly.

"Three marks indicate that the building is incredibly dangerous and must be avoided at all cost, upon penalty of death."

"Yoshimo, I do not understand, why would the guild clearly make buildings off limits?"

Surprising both Jeral and Yoshimo, Anomen answered Jeral's question.

"You cannot possibly understand Jeral for you are new to Athkatla. The city of coin is a complex web of entities vying for power. The thieves guild and the slavers are two elements of that balance, as are the major temples, the Cowled Wizards, the Order and the Council of Six. Most are reluctant to directly change the balance of power within the city. I am not proud to say that the Order sometimes shies away from directly confronting some of the darker elements within the city for that very reason."

"So Yoshimo will we end up at war with the guild if we do this?"

Yoshimo shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

"I cannot say with certainty Jeral. They may be pleased that one of the other power brokers is gone from the city, or they may view us as a threat to the established balance. I wish I knew."

Undaunted, Jeral strode up to the main door of the building and looked the door up and down. The massive door was blood red and banded in iron. An ornate silver doorknocker in the shape of a horse head was at chest height in the center of the door.

"Should we knock?"

"Please do not consider anything so foolish and dangerous Jeral."

A pale looking Yoshimo methodically scanned the door and the surroundings for long moments before he leaned forward and eyed the lock critically. He quickly stood up and looked at the others with a confused look on his face.

"This does not make any sense. There are no traps to be found, and the door is unlocked. It should be safe to open."

"I guess everyone else really is smart enough to leave this place alone," Jeral cracked.

Ready for anything the group opened the door and entered the building. They were in a large great hall that ran the length of the building. To their immediate right stood a narrow doorway that led to a comfortably furnished drawing room. To their immediate left a long hallway led to what Jeral suspect was the kitchen or a guardroom. Brightly lit torches and ornate tapestries adorned the walls. A long rectangular table that could easily seat two score dominated the center of the room. Above the highly polished black table hung a massive chandelier with hundreds of candles interspersed with crystals mounted on the chandelier. The crystals served to disperse the candle light to every corner of the room, bathing the room in a white radiance. The far end of the room held a massive set of stairs that led to the second story of the building. The stairs were made of white stone and covered with blood red carpets.

Before the party could take in more of the opulent surroundings their attention was drawn to the pair standing on the far side of the table. An elderly robed wizard stood loudly arguing with a thin dark haired woman clad in ornate leather armor. The mage wore dark brown mage robes that were heavily embroidered with gold and silver thread while the woman wore a short sword on her hip. Seeing the arrival of strangers they abruptly ceased their argument and turned to face the group.

"What have we here? Trespassers perhaps? Be gone fools!" The elderly mage sneered at the group as he dismissively waved an arm in their direction.

"My apologies Sion. I guess I should have checked the wards on the doors, my apologies but I could not imagine that any would be so foolish as to enter without a proper invitation."

"Excellent point Ketta, and I do appreciate the apology. However it is a bit late for that realization though."

Jeral and the others stood still staring at the blathering pair unsure how to proceed. Finally Anomen stepped forward and ended their indecision.

"Foul slavers. We will remove your influence from the city this very day."

The two froze. Smiling the elderly mage turned to mockingly bow towards the group.

"A challenge is it? Excellent. See you fools upstairs…if you dare." He then snapped his fingers and the pair disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Yoshimo led the way, his katana held at the ready, as the group moved forward cautiously. The group had almost reached the stairways when a shimmering portal opened in their midst. Creatures started spilling out of the portal into the massive ballroom.

Jeral shouted, "Fall back! Head to the drawing room off the entryway! Make haste!"

The group managed to scramble out of the way of the creatures as they winked into existence. There were nearly a dozen bizarre and dangerous creatures. Some Jeral had previously encountered while others he recognized from various tomes in Candlekeep. First there appeared a trio of ogres, closely followed by a pair of trolls and three large winter wolves. Next a massive efreeti winked into existence and called a protective wall of fire to spring up around itself. Lastly a massive demon stepped through the portal and entered the room. Jeral recognized it instantly, it was a glabrezu! Twice as tall as Minsc, and three times as broad, the massive beast sported two impossibly muscular arms that each ended in a claw.

The demon roared and lashed out with a claw, easily decapitating one of the ogres. The other two ogres roared in anger and charged the demon; their heads quickly fell to the floor along with their companion's.

The wolves, troll and efreeti all turned back and attacked the massive demon. Their attacks did little against the demon and he quickly started to mow down the creatures. It was a slaughter.

The party huddled in the doorway watching the blood bath. Anomen recovered his wits first and started chanting and a white light soon settled over the entire group, filling them each with confidence and hope. Minsc quickly chugged a potion while the others readied their weapons. Within moments the Glabrezu stood alone in the middle of the room, the bodies of the other creatures strewn about it. Roaring in fury the beast leapt high in the air and landed on the center of the massive table. The table shattered under the creature's weight and the beast strode towards Jeral and the others.

Not waiting for the beast to strike first the group attacked. Anomen and Minsc led the charge, closely followed by Jeral and the others. The creature struck out at Anomen but he managed to get his shield up in time. The force of the blow slid him backwards across the floor but he quickly recovered and charged forward once again. Minsc struck out with Licaror and sliced deeply into the creature's shoulder. Roaring in anger the demon lashed out with a muscled arm that caught Minsc in the center of the chest. The blow hurled him across the room and he slammed violently into the wall and then collapsed to the ground. Minsc lay on his back breathing heavily as he struggled to regain his senses.

Anomen strode forward and struck a mighty blow with his flail and watched as the enchanted flail heads tore into the creature's red flesh; stepping back when the demon swung out at him. On the other side of the beast Jeral and Yoshimo slashed into the creature's side and leg. Yoshimo's lightly enchanted Katana failed to bite into the creature's thick hide. Jeral had more success and managed to open a few shallow gashes on the creature. The beast leapt into the air again and landed heavily right in front of Viconia and Nalia.

The drow stepped forward, placing herself between the demon and the unarmored Nalia. Viconia raised her war hammer and struck out at the creature's side. Her blow landed but the beast shrugged it off and smashed a claw down onto her right shoulder. The force of the blow shattered her collarbone and drove her to the floor as her war hammer slid away from her useless arm. Nalia stepped over Viconia and raised her staff to protect the fallen drow. The creature clubbed downwards and Nalia held up her staff to parry the strike. The force of the blow sent waves of pain radiating through her arms and forced her to her knees. Before she could recover the creature stepped forward and drove a knee into her chest. The force of the blow lifted Nalia into the air and launched her across the room into the far wall. She struck the wall violently and fell to the floor, leaving a red bloodstain on the tapestry as she collapsed.

Anomen watched helplessly as Nalia pummeled by the glabrezu. Roaring in anger, Anomen dashed forward, swung his flail and grinned as all three flail heads bit deep into the creature's back. The beast whirled around and struck out at the Helmite. He managed to block the attack with his shield and steadily gave ground as the beast advanced.

"Yoshimo, see to the wounded. Help Viconia first and she can see to the others. You are no use against this thing!" Jeral had to shout to be heard over the sounds of the demon's roars as well as the Helmite's battle cries.

Yoshimo nodded and quickly raced over to tend to Viconia.

Jeral called upon his blood and felt rage course through his veins, making him faster and stronger, as he attacked the massive demon. He was a blur of motion as he nimbly avoided the creature's strikes while landing blow after blow of his own. Jeral and Anomen kept well apart, forcing the demon to turn attention back from one to the other. As the glabrezu attacked one man, the other attacked him in the back, and when he turned to respond to the attack the pattern reversed. The pair managed to keep the creature off balance but could not land the killing blow. They were doing damage, just not enough.

Yoshimo raced to Viconia's side and slid to a stop next to her.

"What can I do my lady?"

Snarling the drow glared at Yoshimo, her eyes full of pain and anger.

"I need a healing potion or two to mend my shoulder. Once that is done I can see to the others."

Nodding, Yoshimo quickly tore through his gear and located a potion vial that he upstoppered and handed to the drow. She took the vial and sniffed it cautiously before turning it up to her lips. She sighed contentedly as the potion started to mend her collarbone.

"You do not trust me Viconia?"

"Don't take it personally thief. I trust very few males. Trust is a luxury of the surface world, not mine."

Viconia slowly made her way to her feet and surveyed the room as she worked some feeling back into her right arm. She strode over to Minsc and laid her hands on the large ranger. Muttering a few holy words she channeled the powers of Shar and shuddered as healing warmth spread through her hands and into the injured ranger.

Groaning in pain, Minsc slowly stood up and picked up Licaror from the floor. Gritting his teeth he strode purposely back into the battle. With the demon distracted by Jeral and Anomen Minsc managed to position himself directly behind the demon. Grasping Licaror in a two handed grip, Minsc violently hacked downwards into the demon's back with the massive war blade. The heavily enchanted weapon bit deeply into the creature's back. With a final building shaking roar the demon dropped to the floor dead. Jeral and Anomen dropped their weapons and collapsed to the floor as the exhaustion swept over them.

Viconia quickly moved to Nalia's side and cast a number of healing spells to get the young mage back on her feet. She made a close examination of the young mage's skull, and satisfied that everything we where it should be, helped the girl to her feet before striding away to reclaim her war hammer and shield.

Yoshimo carefully made his way to the far side of the room. At the foot of the great stairwell he knelt down and started setting snare traps at the base of the stairs. He then took a few steps back, drew his katana, and warily watched the top of the stairs as the others recovered. Their main enemy clearly remained upstairs just waiting for the party.

Jeral wearily rose to his feet and helped Anomen rise. As he reclaimed his blades he eyed the Helmite hopefully.

"Anomen, you have great experience with battles from your time in the Order, any suggestions? The slavers must have heard the demon die; they have to know we are here."

Anomen removed his helm and scratched his beard as he thought about it.

"We are up against an unknown foe on terrain of his choosing. The slavers are undoubtedly powerful; else they would have been defeated long ago. We must find a way to even the odds by making them fight in a place not of their choosing."

Yoshimo looked back over his shoulder at Jeral, his face creased with worry.

"Jeral, we should retreat to the Coronet to rest and recover. Most of us are still recovering from our wounds. We are not at our strongest, the risk is just too great."

Viconia snorted and eyed the bounty hunter with disdain. "If we depart this place while any of the slaver leadership live we die, as will everyone at the Coronet. They will send their forces to burn the place to the ground and slaughter the survivors as they attempt to flee the flames."

"How can you possibly know that?" Yoshimo shot back heatedly.

"Two reasons. One, it is what they said they would do in their threat to Hendak."

The drow smiled lazily as she shifted her gaze from Yoshimo to Jeral while lifting a second finger.

"And two, it is what I would do if I was in their position. This is a direct challenge to their authority. Such a challenge cannot go unanswered if they hope to survive as a force in the city."

Anomen strode forward and stood next to Viconia.

"She is right Jeral. The battle is joined for better or worse. We shall emerge victorious, or we shall perish in our attempt."

Jeral nodded grimly as he cleaned the demon blood off his blades.

"Agreed. We win or we die. Since I would prefer we win what can we do to improve our chances?"

Jeral was surprised when Yoshimo sighed heavily and sheathed his blade.

"I think I have an idea Jeral. I am with you even if you insist on this dangerous and foolish course of action."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. What do you suggest Yoshimo?"

"We have to lure them downstairs. As you can see I have already laid a few traps. Anomen and Viconia can both conjure some skeletons to provide some assistance as well."

"I can ensure we can all move faster than our enemy. My head is ringing and I cannot remember my more complex spells but that is a simple one and it should help us." Nalia smiled as Jeral nodded approvingly at her suggestion.

"Very well. So we have a few traps awaiting them here as well as a fast moving group. How can we get them down here?"

"Allow me to take a look upstairs and then we may have a way forward." Yoshimo quickly drank from a small glass vial and disappeared from sight.

The five waited nervously as the time stretched on. Finally the group heard a cough and Yoshimo winked into sight on the stairwell.

The stairs are not trapped. There are many traps on the landing upstairs but the stairs themselves are safe so we must not leave the stairwell.

"What did you see?" Nalia asked breathlessly.

"There are six upstairs. I presume they are the entire leadership of the organization. The mage we saw before, a priest of Talos, the young woman who was with the mage, another man with blades, and then a pair of beasts in plate mail."

"Very well. Let us make ready and then we can get their attention."

Viconia and Anomen both started chanting and a half dozen skeletons winked into existence and moved to stand in a silent line in front of Nalia.

Nalia then cast a spell and everyone in the party felt faster, much, much faster.

"So now all we need to do is get their attention."

Smiling Viconia pulled a bubbling yellow flask out of her pouch. "Allow me Jeral. This will get their attention nicely. Although I shall have to visit that clever gnome potion master in the Bridge District and have him make some more of these for me later for this is my last one."

Anomen and Minsc readied themselves at the base of the stairs. The stood back away from the landing to ensure they stood clear of Yoshimo's traps. The traps were clearly visible but that could not be helped for there was no easy way to camouflage them inside the building. Jeral stood to their left while Yoshimo stood to the right. Nalia stood a few steps behind the four men with the skeletons standing guard in front of her.

Viconia raced up the stairs in a blur. The sound of breaking glass was followed by the sound of a massive explosion that caused the entire building to shake and cause the massive chandelier to sway ominously. Viconia's trip down the stairs was even faster than her trip up. As she sprinted down the stairs Jeral and the others stared wide eyed as a trio charged after her. Despite her magically enhanced speed they were matching her step for step. A middle aged man with flowing grey hair and dark grey studded leather armor chased after her with a pair of long curved blades held at the ready. Trailing the grey haired man was a massive minotaur clad in an ornate set of full plate mail. The beast carried a large metal shield and wielded a wicked looking double headed battle axe. Lumbering a few steps behind the minotaur sprinted a barrel chested ogre. The beast was also clad in a finely wrought suit of plate mail and carried a massive blade that made Licaror look like a long sword. The trio all suffered from minor burns on their arms and armor, Viconia's potion had clearly made an impact on the enemy.

Three steps from the bottom of the stairs Viconia hurled herself forward and dove towards Jeral. Stepping aside, Jeral watched as Viconia struck the ground, quickly did a shoulder roll and smoothly rose to her feet. As Jeral returned his gaze to the stairwell he watched awestruck as the grey haired man leapt from the same stair as Viconia had and sailed over Jeral's head. Jeral spun around and drew his blades. The grey haired man smoothly landed on the ground and spun about with a flourish as he held his blades out in front of him in a low guard.

Jeral marveled at the fact that his opponent dual wielded katanas. Both were clearly enchanted but the one in his right hand positively crackled with electricity and magical energy. Jeral found his gaze drawn to the amazing weapon. Jeral briefly thought back to his time in Candlekeep.

 _I remember the last time I fought someone with a katana, it was in the tournament in Candlekeep my last season there. I got beat up pretty good in the finals. What was that guy's name again?_

Jeral could not finish the thought as the fighter closed with him. Swords clashed with katanas as the two dueled. Jeral quickly realized that he was overmatched by the expert swordsman. He switched to a defensive stance and parried blow after blow as best he could while slowly walking backwards. Jeral smiled in satisfaction as he saw that the ogre neglected to notice his surroundings as his left leg was chopped into a pulp by stepping on a series of the traps Yoshimo had set at the base of the stairs. The traps ripped his leg to threads and the ogre fell to the floor grasping at the wound to staunch the massive flow of blood. Once he struck the floor Anomen and Yoshimo made short work of him.

Minsc was squared off against the plate clad minotaur and Licaror slammed violently into the creature's large shield. The beast shrugged off the blow, counter attacked and Minsc was forced to give ground to avoid a wicked slash from the double headed battle axe. As Minsc fought the creature Viconia and Anomen directed their skeletons forward to assist the large ranger.

Jeral allowed himself a slight smile as he faced his opponent. With only two slavers on their feet they were badly outnumbered and would likely not last long. Jeral realized he just needed to stay on the defensive until the others could assist him in his duel. Jeral continued to focus on parrying every attack his opponent launched. After a few more strikes the man opposing Jeral smiled broadly and stepped back. Holding his right hand blade up to his face he mumbled something inaudible to Jeral. Seconds later a bolt of lightning tore appeared from the ceiling and rained down, striking the ground between Anomen and Yoshimo. The blast blew a hole in the floor and showered everyone with bits of marble. Anomen in his full suit of metal armor took the bulk of the blast and was knocked to his knees. Yoshimo managed to avoid the worst of the blast, but as he rolled to his feet his neat hair was wild and pointing in all directions. He bled from numerous small wounds and seemed completely disoriented as he looked around wildly.

The minotaur disdainfully smashed the skeletons into dust with a few quick swings of his axe. Returning his focus to Minsc the pair traded blows. Jeral was struck by the fact that Minsc looked almost as feral as the minotaur as he gave into his berserker rage. Minsc was completely oblivious to anything other than his opponent. The two tore into one another as their battle moved them across the room.

After catching his breath and a quick healing spell, Anomen regained his feet and raced to join Minsc against the heavily armored minotaur. Before he could reach the beast he cried out in pain and fell to the floor again, clutching his side. The women they had seen in the ball room before winked into existence behind the wounded squire, holding a bloody short sword. She held a vial in her left hand, took a quick sip, and winked back out of sight. Nalia raced to stand over Anomen and waved her staff around wildly to protect the fallen Helmite.

Groaning Anomen rose to his feet and held his flail and shield before him defensively. Once Anomen was able to defend himself Nalia dropped her staff and started moving her hands in an intricate pattern as she chanted under her breath. As she finished her spell a wave of power flashed out from her fingers and spread out across the room. The leather clad women winked back into sight, clearly unsettled by her unexpected reappearance. Her entire body was covered in glowing golden light. She took another sip of her potion and cursed as she did not disappear. She hurled the potion at Nalia and charged her. Nalia drew her dagger from her belt and held it out in front of her body. The agile woman easily twisted away from Nalia's unskilled strike and stabbed out with her own blade. Nalia threw herself to the ground to avoid the strike. The blade tore through her robes and left a shallow cut across her upper thigh. The women stood over Nalia and prepared to deliver the killing blow.

Before she could strike Anomen strode forward and violently struck out with his shield. The metal shield struck the woman in the side and drove her to the ground. As she struggled to clear her head and regain her feet Viconia came up behind her and delivered a wicked blow to her skull with her war hammer. The woman's head caved in under the strike and her lifeless body slid to the floor in a bloody heap. Viconia smirked and wiped her hammer off on the woman's leather armor.

"My lady, you are wounded!" Anomen strode forward to place his hands on Nalia's leg wound. She slapped his hands away and shook her head.

"It is just a scratch; we can deal with it later." Nodding his understanding Anomen chanted under his breath and closed the wound to his side. Once complete he reclaimed his flail and looked around the room. Minsc and the minotaur continued to ineffectually hammer away at one another. Both were bleeding from a number of wounds but neither showed any signs of fatigue. Anomen turned to watch as Jeral continued to duel with the grey haired man. Jeral was largely on the defensive but he seemed to be in control as he parried attack after attack.

Viconia shoved Anomen roughly to get his attention.

"We must go upstairs. There are two more upstairs that we need to kill."

"What about Jeral and Minsc?"

"They will be fine. The two upstairs look to be the most dangerous ones left. We need to kill them before they can prepare for our attack. We move NOW!"

Viconia shoved Anomen forward and grabbed Nalia by the arm to drag her along as well. She locked eyes with Yoshimo and barked out another order.

"Go clear the traps at the top of the stairs so we can kill those other slavers."

Yoshimo's eyes shifted from Viconia to Jeral and then back to the drow.

"I cannot leave Jeral!"

Viconia's violet eyes flashed with rage, unused as she was to the disobedience of males.

"Clear those traps bounty hunter or you will not survive this day!"

Yoshimo grimly nodded in agreement and raced up the stairs with Anomen, Viconia, and Nalia following close behind.

Out of the corner of his eye Jeral watched the four race up the stairs. He eyes were quickly pulled back to his front as he just managed to parry a wicked overhand strike from his opponent. His arms felt heavy as he continued to block strike after strike. His opponent was red faced and sweating, his long grey hair hung down in clumps as he strained to get through Jeral's guard. Jeral stabbed out with his short sword and his opponent nimbly twisted out of the way. Jeral pivoted on his left foot and struck out with a short punch with his right arm. Surprised by the unorthodox tactic the grey hair man's eyes widened as Jeral's sword pommel connected with his face. Jeral's fist connected with a satisfying crunch as blood poured from his broken nose.

Wiping the blood on his sleeve the man smiled at Jeral, showing a bloody mouth full of shattered teeth. He staggered backwards a half dozen steps until he regained his balance. He took a deep breath and raised his blades in a brief salute.

"That was…unexpected. It has been quite some time since someone has made me bleed. Well done lad. Pity you will not live to enjoy it."

The man raced towards Jeral and he braced to meet his charge, holding his blades in a high guard. At the last instant the grey haired man dropped to his knees and slid towards Jeral. Jeral slashed out with the Blade of Roses but the grey haired man leaned back and the blade skimmed harmlessly over his head. Jeral desperately twisted sideways to get away from his attacker. As the man slid past Jeral he struck out with his right hand katana and Jeral felt the blade cut deeply into his right thigh, just above the knee. The pain was overwhelming, as the blade struck home a huge thunderclap exploded in Jeral's ears and he found himself deafened and completely unable to move. Tears welled up in his eyes as his body was overcome with the pain from the blade and the intense noise.

Jeral could only watch helplessly as his opponent deliberately rose to his feet. He sheathed his left hand katana on his back and walked to stand in front of Jeral. He placed a hand on Jeral's armor and ran his hand over the cool metal links.

"This is some exceptional armor boy. Let's see if my blade can pierce it shall we?" He took his katana and placed the tip of the weapon in the very center of Jeral's chest. Placing both hands on the blade he prepared himself to drive it through Jeral's chest.

Jeral willed himself to move, tried to cast a spell, ried anything and everything to get out of the way of the blade. Nothing worked. Jeral closed his eyes as he realized that he was going to die. He did not fear death, but he feared failing Imoen. He hoped that Anomen and the others would still make the attempt to rescue her even without him. Determined to face his death with dignity Jeral opened his eyes so he could watch his own death.

Seeing Jeral's eyes open the grey haired fighter nodded slightly in salute. "You are a brave man and were a worthy opponent. Still you will die knowing that you lost to a real swordsman."

Shifting his weight he started driving his blade into Jeral's chest. The point of the blade easily slid between the chain links and bit into his chest. It dug in slightly and then stopped. Jeral was not sure if the blade was stopped by his mail or by his breast bone. Frowning, the man tightened his grip on his blade and he leaned into the weapon. Pain shot through Jeral's body as the blade, slowly, painfully, started to burrow into his chest. Jeral felt his chest flexing inwards and could imagine the bones preparing to shatter. Once that happened the blade would run him through and death would follow.

"Noooooooo! He is not for you to kill!"

Jeral raised his eyes and saw Yoshimo racing down the stairs. He reached the landing and launched himself at Jeral's opponent.

The grey haired man whirled around and easily parried Yoshimo's wild strike. Yoshimo lifted his right leg and kicked out at the man's chest. His foot struck the man in the center of the chest and hurled him backwards.

Yoshimo placed himself between Jeral and the grey haired man and held his katana at the ready.

"This one is not for you fool! He is destined for more, so very much more. You shall not interfere."

"We shall see dark one, we shall see."

The grey haired man slowly drew his second katana and held both his blades in front of his face. He sprang forward and slashed out at Yoshimo. Yoshimo parried the first blade and twisted away from the second. Yoshimo counterattacked and forced the man to backpedal as he quickly followed one attack up with another.

Jeral could not see the battle that raged around him. He could hear the clash of steel on steel so he knew that both Minsc and Yoshimo still battled their opponents. Explosions from over his head confirmed that Viconia and the others had their hands full with the remaining slavers upstairs. Jeral struggled to regain control over his body. As the moments slowly crept forward he felt some control return to his limbs. Finally he was free from whatever enchantment held him and he collapsed to the floor in pain.

He lifted his head and saw that Yoshimo was giving ground as the grey haired fighter methodically picked him apart. Yoshimo's initial attack had pushed the man back but surprise and fury can only last so long. Now his opponent's superior skill was starting to tell. Jeral gasped in horror as he watched Yoshimo parry one strike but leave himself open to the follow up attack. Yoshimo pivoted to his left as he deftly pushed the right hand blade of his opponent to the side. Without missing a beat the grey haired man slashed out horizontally with his left hand blade and it cut deeply into Yoshimo's exposed side. His lightly enchanted student leather armor was little hindrance as the blade cut deep. Yoshimo's right arm snapped back in close as he held his blade in front of his injured side. Yoshimo slowly staggered backwards as he struggled to stay upright as the blood poured down his leg. Failing in the attempt, he collapsed to the floor and his blade clattered away from his failing grip. Yoshimo looked up at his opponent as if resigned to his fate.

Jeral mumbled a few arcane words and a trio of magic missiles leapt from his fingers and struck the grey haired fighter in the back. The man spasmed in pain and whirled around to face Jeral, his face twisted in a mask of rage.

"You bore me boy. No one else is here to save you. You are going to die by my hand."

Twirling his blades menacingly he confidently sauntered towards Jeral. Jeral muttered a few words and five duplicates appeared at his sides. The man paused for a second as he viewed the images and frowned slightly. He quickly reached into his belt pouch, pulled out a potion vial, and swallowed the contents. He then smashed the empty vial on the floor, reclaimed his second kanata and launched himself at Jeral.

The man moved faster than Jeral thought possible. He closed with Jeral with two quick strikes banished two of Jeral's images from existence. Jeral realized that the benefits from Nalia's spell of haste were gone and that his opponent was moving with magical speed. Jeral knew he had to strike quickly before his remaining protective images were destroyed. How could he defeat a man who was a better swordsman? Jeral realized he needed to find a superior swordsman to aid him. Jeral dropped his short sword to the ground and tore at the pouch on his pants leg with his left hand. Finding what he wanted he pulled the wand free and threw himself to the ground. Striking the ground he rolled to the right and rose to a knee and pointed his wand at the Minotaur still dueling with Minsc on the far side of the chamber. The pair continued to duel and Jeral was stunned to see that Minsc was starting to tire. Jeral uttered the command word and a bolt of lightning leapt from the wand and struck the minotaur in the side. The bolt tore through the beast, struck the wall just beyond it, and then rebounded through his body once again. The minotaur howled piteously in pain as it collapsed to the ground dead. Minsc looked around and locked eyes with Jeral as the bard's attention was pulled back to the grey haired man.

The glint of metal pulled Jeral's attention back to the immediate threat and he desperately raised his long sword to parry the blow. His opponent lifted a knee and drove it into Jeral's face. Jeral felt his nose shatter and felt the warm blood flow down his face as he struggled to rise to his feet as he backed away from his opponent. His remaining mirror images were gone and his short sword lay on the ground on the other side of his opponent. The warrior slashed out viciously with one katana and then the other. Jeral parried the strike from the electrically charged blade and accepted the strike from the second strike on his side. His chain mail held and the blade did not cut into him. The force of the blow did crack a few ribs on his left side and he struggled for breath as he continued to back away.

An inhuman roar echoed across the room and the sound of heavy metal footsteps echoed over the sounds of their combat. Minsc was on his way to Jeral's aid! Jeral's opponent heard the sounds and prepared to turn and face the new threat. Jeral stopped back pedaling, leaned forward and sprung towards his opponent; the Blade of Roses held with both hands over his head. Jeral put every last bit of remaining strength into the swung as he swung down towards the man's unarmored head. The grey haired man turned back to face Jeral and raised both his katanas up in a high guard. He crossed the blades to form a stronger defense and easily parried Jeral's strike. Jeral did not pull back and attack again, rather he attempted to muscle his sword down through his opponents guard. He knew it was unlikely to succeed but he was determined to keep his opponent focused on him for as long as possible.

The grey haired man swung both his blades to the right and drove them to the floor. The unexpected move drove Jeral's blade into the floor and the blade clattered out of Jeral's hands as it violently impacted with the marble. The grey haired fighter straightened back up and pulled back his right hand katana to prepare for the killing strike. Jeral could not help but stare at the magnificent weapon. The heavy enchantments from the weapon radiated out of it as if the blade could not contain all the power held within. As Jeral stared at the blade a splash of warm blood splattered on his face; he staggered backwards struggling to clear the blood from his eyes. He started to panic until he realized that the blood was not his own. Somehow he could tell from the smell and the taste of the blood that it was not his own.

As his vision cleared he saw his opponent standing unsteadily in front of him. Both of his blades lay on the ground and the warrior stared down at the massive blade protruding from the center of his chest. Licaror had easily entered through the center of the man's back and punched out of his chest. Minsc braced his left hand on the man's shoulder and slowly drew his blade back. As the blade slid out of the man's chest Jeral was horrified to realized that he could see all the way through the man's torso! The grey haired man struggled to raise his head and locked eyes with Jeral. He struggled to speak as blood frothed from his lips.

"You could not beat me boy! I may die today, but I die undefeated." As the words left his lips Jeral watched as the last of his life left his eyes and his lifeless body collapsed to the floor. Jeral allowed himself a quick look around the chamber as he struggled to catch his breath. Confident that he and Misc and Yoshimo were the only ones left alive on the floor he nodded his thanks at Minsc.

"Once again I owe you my life. Are you badly injured?"

Smiling Minsc shook his head tiredly. "Minsc is very tired but all of my wounds are minor."

"Please watch the stairs while I tend to Yoshimo."

Jeral sheathed the Blade of Roses and reclaimed his short sword as he made his way over to Yoshimo. The bounty hunter lay sprawled on the floor in a slowly expanding pool of blood. Jeral knelt down next to Yoshimo and was relieved to see the bounty hunter open his eyes. He was badly wounded, and very pale, but he yet lived.

"Rest easy Yoshimo."

Jeral placed his hands on the wound and willed out his energy. Yoshimo's eyes widened in surprise as a burst of energy coursed through his body, closing the worst of his wounds.

"That felt most unusual Jeral." Shaking his head dismissively Jeral patted Yoshimo's shoulder reassuringly.

"Never mind all that. You should be well enough until Anomen or Viconia can attend to you. Lay still."

Yoshimo nodded tiredly and lowered his head back to the floor and lay still, his shallow breathing the only indication that he was still alive.

Jeral rose to his feet and limped over to join Minsc at the base of the stairs.

Drawing his blades he tiredly said, "Let us go check on our friends upstairs Minsc."

"No need for all that Jeral, we are all fine and the slavers upstairs are not."

Jeral looked up to see a beaming Nalia heading down the stairs closely followed by Anomen and Viconia. All three looked very much the worse for wear but they were all upright and smiling. Nalia's robes were badly burned and torn. Anomen's shield was badly dented in a number of places and Viconia's war hammer was covered in blood and bits of skull.

Smiling broadly Jeral sheathed his blades and motioned towards Yoshimo.

"He is badly wounded, can you two tend to him?"

Anomen heartily clapped Jeral on the shoulder, causing him to grimace in pain from his wounds.

"I will take care of Yoshimo Jeral. We have done a great thing today. We have destroyed the slavery operations within the city of coin! Both Helm and the Order will be pleased!"

Viconia walked up to Jeral and looked him up and down.

"To look at you it is difficult to determine if you won or lost the battle."

She hung her war hammer on her belt and expertly ran her hands over Jeral.

"You should have bled out from this wound on your thigh, yet clearly you did not. The rib injury and the nose are both painful but largely inconsequential."

Jeral smirked at the drow priestess. "Nice to know my pain is inconsequential Viconia."

She smoothly grabbed his shattered nose and violently straightened it, causing Jeral to whimper in agony.

"You surfacer males are just pathetic, no tolerance for pain at all. I had to straighten it before I heal it."

Viconia muttered a few words and Jeral felt a healing warmth wash over his face. She then repeated the effort on his thigh. The wound partially closed and still ached painfully.

"That is all I can do for now, I have used up all of my remaining gifts while upstairs. You will live until then and we can complete the healing process on the morrow."

Jeral nodded tiredly as he looked around the room at the others. All save Viconia looked exhausted and in need of healing and rest.

A loud knock on the door caught the attention of everyone on the room. Weapons were drawn and made ready. Viconia and Nalia dragged Yoshimo away from the door as Jeral moved warily towards it, closely followed by Minsc and Anomen. The pounding on the door repeated itself and to Jeral's ears it sounded like a sword pommel slamming into the door time and time again. Whoever was outside they definitely had no love for the slavers. Taking a deep breath Jeral quickly opened the door and then jumped back. In an instant Jeral was swept up off his feet and wrapped in a smothering embrace. Jeral struggled to free himself to no avail. Just before he felt his lungs would burst he was released and placed back on the ground.

He gasped for air as he looked up into Hendak's horribly scarred, smiling face.

"It looks as if we are too late Jeral. You and your companions managed just fine without any assistance from us. Well done lad. Very well done."


	18. Always listen to Nalia

_Falling well off the pace here as I hoped to get out a chapter a week. Funny how life has a way of getting in the way at times._

Chapter 18: Always listen to Nalia

Hendak stood in one of the private dining rooms at the Copper Coronet, hands on hips, eying the numerous piles of equipment and treasure scattered about the floor. A pair of his guards stood watch inside the room while another pair stood outside the door. Even inside his own establishment Hendak was not taking any chances with so much valuable equipment and treasure piled in one place. Even with the slaver's organization crushed there were still many in the city who would kill for even one handful of the treasure arrayed in front of him.

"I knew that the slave masters would be well equipped Jeral but this is more than I could ever have imagined." Shaking his head in wonder Hendak smiled as he continued, "It took us most of the past two days to identify all the enchanted items and get all of the gems and jewelry appraised. You lot are about to become incredibly wealthy."

Jeral allowed himself to smile as he eyed the scarred former gladiator and proprietor of the Copper Coronet. "Aye, it is quite an impressive collection of treasure and equipment. I am very glad you arrived when you did Hendak; else we would have had to leave much of it behind. We were in bad shape and few of us had the strength to move, let alone carry a massive amount of found treasure and equipment through the streets. I am doubly glad that you allowed all of us to rest and recover for the past two days for we badly needed that as well."

A snort from the other side of the room caused Jeral and Hendak to both turn. Viconia leaned against the door frame and smirked at the two men. She was clad in a long dark purple tunic over black silken pants. She looked well rested and incredibly alluring. "You are mistaken Jeral. There was one amongst us who did not lie about like a bed slave for the past two days. I have already restocked on potions and had all of my equipment cleaned and repaired."

Jeral held his hands out in mock surrender and bowed deeply as he eyed the drow cleric. "I stand corrected Viconia; somehow you managed to recover from your injuries more rapidly than the rest of us."

She shrugged her shoulders and tried to look indifferent but Jeral could see the pleased look on her face despite her efforts to hide it.

"I am drow, therefore I should recover more quickly. Besides, someone had to watch Hendak and his staff to ensure none of our hard won treasure walked away."

If Viconia's words bothered Hendak his face gave away no response. He merely smiled at the implied insult and returned his gaze to Jeral.

"I have taken the liberty to invite Ribald over to take a look at your equipment. He can take much of this off your hands for a very fair price. He should be here presently. I also sent Yoshimo out to someone who could repair his damaged armor."

"You have our thanks Hendak," Jeral nodded gratefully at the heavily scarred ex-gladiator, "how can we repay you for your kindness?"

Hendak strode across the room and gripped Jeral fiercely by the shoulders. "Never forget that you and your companions gave me my life back. You gave all of us our lives back when you freed us from those cages in the back. Then, if that was not enough, you helped me claim this fine establishment as my own. I can now provide for all of my people and many others in this city who need some help. You have given me much and I will be forever in your debt. Besides," he said as he released his grip and winked at Jeral, "we cleaned out the slave lord's building after you left."

"You did what?" Jeral asked unbelievingly.

"You heard me. As you know I arranged for a pair of carriages to escort you and the others back to the Coronet since you were in a bad way. I took a quick look around their estate and realized that they lived in absolute luxury. I already planned to get a couple carts and a few strong backs to carry the items you found and claimed from the slavers. I merely aimed higher. I rounded up a dozen carts and every able bodied employee I could spare and sent them to the slaver's estate. We managed to get in and out before anyone in the city could organize and stop us. All of the slaver's equipment and their valuables are rightly yours. However, I stand to make a pretty amount of coin selling their clothes, furnishings and artwork to various parties in the town. Everyone here in the Coronet will share in the wealth, so there are a lot of happy faces around here. Pity you had to destroy that table in the ball room, for that was quite the centerpiece and would have classed this place up considerably. No matter, for this is a great day Jeral, a great day!" Hendak departed the room to await the arrival of Ribald.

Jeral shook his head and smiled as he walked over to stand next to Viconia. "So where is everyone else?"

"As Hendak said, Yoshimo is at the tailor. Anomen, Minsc, and young Nalia are picking up the illithium substitute and meeting Sir Sarles at the Temple of Helm."

"Anomen went along with that? What happened to his whole indignation over cheating Sir Sarles?"

Viconia smiled and ran her fingers sensuously through her silky white hair as she stretched and rolled her shoulders from side to side. "Nalia told him that they were using the replacement alloy and that she would brook no argument from him."

"I cannot believe it. He was ready to come to blows with me when we last discussed this issue a few days ago."

"I know. It is very interesting." Viconia slapped Jeral lightly on the face as she smiled at him. "I think that one of the Lady Nalia's ancestors must have been at least part drow, for she is learning how to command her male. I knew there was potential in that one." Viconia turned abruptly and sauntered out of the room. Jeral crooked his head to the side and smiled as he watched her leave. After she departed Jeral started to sort through the treasures on the floor to determine what was of use to the party and what they would sell to Ribald upon his arrival.

Jeral waded through the piles on the floor and picked out a few items that he did not intend to sell to Ribald. There were a good number of invisibility potions that would go to Yoshimo, while the potions of extra healing would be handed out to all. Most of the other equipment would not fit anyone in the party. There were two sets of enchanted full plate but both were for someone even larger than Minsc. The woman's leather armor was heavily enchanted but Viconia preferred her mail of the dead. The enchanted helms likewise were for larger heads so they would go to Ribald. There were a handful of high quality enchanted weapons but most would be sold. No one in the group wanted the two handed sword, short sword, mace or battle axe. All of those enchanted weapons would fetch a good price, as would the large enchanted shield. Jeral came to the pair of katanas wielded by the grey haired blade master. One was lightly enchanted and would get sold to Ribald. The second katana, that was a different story entirely. That blade was heavily enchanted and had numerous powers. That weapon they would keep. Jeral picked up the katana and slung it over his shoulder for safekeeping.

Jeral heard commotion in the common room and quickly exited the ad hoc treasure room. He watched as Nalia strode into the tavern followed by Minsc and Anomen. The trio all were smiles as they strode in and walked right up to the bar.

"Bernard, three shots of your finest whiskey my good man! We are celebrating." Nalia slapped her hands on the bar in a rapid fire beat as Bernard poured and served the drinks. Nalia took a glass and handed it to Minsc, then she handed a second to Anomen, and took the third for herself. Raising her glass in the air she clinked glassed with Minsc and Anomen.

"Here is to patrons of the arts, long may they prosper!" Laughing she tilted the glass to her lips and swallowed down the whiskey. Jeral watched as her face reddened from the alcohol as she shuddered slightly and gleefully slammed her glass down on the bar. Minsc and Anomen completed their shots and returned their glasses to the bar an instant after Nalia did.

Beaming she smacked her lips loudly, slapped the bar and shouted, "Again please!"

"My pleasure Lady Nalia, but isn't this a wee bit early for whiskey?"

"Normally I would agree with you Bernard but this is a time for celebration so pour the drinks!" Shaking his head and smiling Bernard again refilled all three shot glasses. Nalia handed glasses to Minsc and Anomen and quickly claimed hers. She raised her glass in the air and shouted, "Here is to seeing the backside of that pompous windbag Sir Sarles. May he never return to the city of coin!"

Anomen and Minsc both cheered heartily in response to Nalia's toast and the trio drained their glasses once again. Overcome with curiosity Jeral walked over. Nalia watched him approach and raced over to embrace him in a hug. "Jeral this is a great day. The temple is pleased and that fop is on his way out of town. It could not be a better day."

Under Anomen's jealous glare Jeral quickly stepped out of Nalia embrace. "I take it your morning went well Lady Nalia?"

"It went perfectly! I could not have planned it any better had I tried." Nalia spun around in circles waving her hands in the air until she started to get dizzy. Suitably chastened she tottered back to the bar, leaned against Minsc for support, and took a deep breath. "Jeral I cannot explain to you how exciting this morning was. We picked up the illithium ore substitute….."

"And had to pay double what she originally told us!" Anomen piped in indignantly.

Nalia waved a hand impatiently at the Helmite. "Shush Anomen, I am telling the story." Taking a deep breath to compose herself she continued. "As I was saying we picked up the ore. It looked like a big heavy pile of shiny silver metal all melted together. We did have to pay double, as other temples were interested in the same solution, but we got their first so it all worked out. Anomen and Minsc carried the massive slab of metal to the Temple of Helm. We put it down in front of the temple and waited for Sir Sarles to arrive. Well he finally showed up and within moments he realized that he was not looking at real illithium."

"How could he possibly tell the difference?"

Nalia looked at Jeral for a moment before she responded, "Since that was a relevant question I will not shush you. But please do not interrupt again. Apparently, real illithium never shows anything. It never will tarnish, or fade or get dirty or greasy. Well the illithium substitute started out flawless but by the time we arrived at the temple there were hand prints on it as well as a few scratches from where the boys dropped it." Minsc and Anomen looked away in embarrassment as Nalia completed her sentence.

Jeral did not want to be shushed by Nalia so he waited patiently for her to continue and after a moment she did.

"Where was I? Oh yes, so Sir Sarles realized we tried to trick him and he was not happy, not happy at all. He noisily departed in a huff and swore to leave the city, never to return."

Jeral closed his eyes as he patiently waited for Nalia to continue. "So Sir Sarles left with his tights in a bind. The little git made quite a scene. Guardian Telwyn witnessed the entire interaction and was quite cross as us for attempting to use dishonest methods to further the aims of the temple."

Beaming Nalia looked up and walked over to stand next to Anomen. "Before I could even apologize and take the blame for the dishonesty High Watcher Oisig came outside to see what the commotion was about."

Jeral recognized that name instantly. High Watcher Oisig was the senior priest in the Temple of Helm and was one of Helm's chosen few in the realm. It was said that he spoke to his deity on a regular basis and he was the most powerful and influential cleric in all of Athkatla. If they fell afoul of the High Watcher then their time in the city would become difficult indeed.

"So the High Watcher comes outside, Anomen drops to a knee to pay his respects, and I get ready to speak before Guardian Telwyn could inform him of our dishonesty. But Lady Luck was with us on this morn. As Telwyn and I both started to speak Oisig raised a hand for silence. Needless to say we stopped speaking. He stood staring at the ore for some time as he walked around it again and again. After what felt like forever the High Watcher broke into a broad smile and patted Telwyn on the back. 'Well done Telwyn,' he said 'this is exactly what I had in mind. It shows the gleam and the shine must be nurtured and cared for lest they fade. We shall call this piece _Eternal Vigilance_. Place it somewhere prominent.' He then said hello to us, commanded Anomen to rise, and strode back into the temple."

"So despite my misgivings at our course of action the day was a success. We have gained favor of the temple, despite our less than honorable approach. My reputation with the temple is thankfully intact."

"See Anomen, it all worked out after all."

Anomen shook his head wonderingly. "Helm does indeed work in mysterious ways; I cannot believe that we managed to retain the favor of the church. We did try and cheat Sir Sarles after all."

Nalia patted Anomen's armored forearm possessively.

"He was a prat Anomen, the church is better off without him."

Nalia wrapped her arms around Anomen's left arm and leaned in close to the squire. "The lesson here Squire Anomen is to follow where I lead. For when you do good things happen to you. So always follow my lead." Nalia released her grip and slowly walked across the room to stand at the base of the stairs leading to the bedrooms on the second floor. She turned back and smiled at Anomen with a look of anticipation on her face. A look of confusion crossed his face as he looked from Jeral to Minsc and back again. Jeral took the bottle from the counter, poured a single shot, and handed it to Anomen.

"Squire Anomen, drink this and then walk across the room to Lady Nalia. I believe she has decided that you are going to move your courting to a new level upstairs."

Anomen's face blanched as the understanding sank in. His hand shook as he slowly raised the glass to his lips and drank the whiskey. The glass left his hand and dropped to the floor as he slowly walked across the room. Nalia took Anomen by the hand and slowly led him upstairs.

"Well done Nalia, very well done," Jeral mumbled to himself as he poured himself a shot of whiskey.

"Jeral, does whiskey make you tired?" asked Minsc.

"No. Not usually Minsc," Jeral replied.

"It does not make Minsc tired either."

"So then why did you ask?"

Looking confused Minsc tilted his head to the side as he spoke, "Boo says Nalia and Anomen are going to bed, so they must be sleepy from the whiskey." Jeral struggled to drink his shot of whiskey without laughing. Once he regained control he patted Minsc on an armored shoulder and nodded, "That has to be it Minsc. Let us invite Viconia to join us for lunch before we drink anything else."

After the trio enjoyed a pleasant lunch Ribald and his staff finally arrived to view the treasures taken from the slaver's compound. After a few hours of fierce haggling between Viconia and Ribald the party was the richer by several tens of thousands of gold pieces. Viconia, Minsc and Jeral returned to the bar in the common room to celebrate their newfound wealth. Before they could drink to their good fortune Yoshimo hailed them from the door. He came striding into the room wearing his newly cleaned and repaired armor. Yoshimo was all smiles as he stood before the trio and turned around slowly.

"That Master Salumon is a wizard with a needle and thread. He also sends his best wishes to our Squire Anomen." Yoshimo looked around the bar for an instant and started walking towards Jeral before he continued, "Where is our noble Squire?" Before Jeral could think up an appropriate reply Minsc spoke in a loud booming voice, "Anomen and Nalia were sleepy so they went to bed." Yoshimo raised an eyebrow as he looked questioningly at Jeral who could only shrug helplessly in response. Looking to change the subject Jeral unslung the katana from his back and handed it to Yoshimo.

"I think this blade will serve you well Yoshimo."

Yoshimo's face paled and he held his hands up pushing the scabbard and blade away from his body. "Jeral, do you know what this blade is? I cannot take this, I am not worthy." Jeral looked confused as he eyed Yoshimo, "I know that this blade is incredibly powerful. I also know that you wield a lightly enchanted katana and could benefit from wielding a more powerful blade. You are the most deserving of such a weapon." Yoshimo lowered his head as he spoke reverently. "Jeral, you cannot possibly understand but I am not worthy."

Looking to find an explanation for Yoshimo's reluctance Jeral quickly asked a question to stall or time. "What is the history of this blade Yoshimo?"

"Legends from my homeland of Kozakura tell of a mighty blade that was forged by the God of War….."

"You mean the Lord Chan Cheng?" Jeral interrupted.

"How can you possibly know that Jeral? Few beyond our shores know of our Gods."

Jeral shrugged his shoulders and smiled, "Benefits of growing up in one of the greatest libraries in the realm. Please continue."

"Yes, of course. So the Lord Chan Chang took some of his very divine essence and placed it inside the blade. Legend says he forged the blade during a mighty storm and captured the lightning from the storm inside the blade ensuring that the blade had a mix of natural and divine power within it. He named the blade 'Celestial Fury' and gave it to a great swordsman who was one of his most fervent disciples."

"How did it end up so far from your homeland?"

Yoshimo shrugged, "I do not know, I doubt anyone does. My father told me the blade passed from owner to owner over countless lifetimes, always in the hands of a mighty blade master. At some point it was lost to history…and yet here it is again."

"Well the blade is keeping the tradition alive for the grey haired blade master who last wielded this blade was a man named Koshi. He was better with a blade than any I have seen. I think he would have even given Hendak a run for his money."

"You defeated him Jeral; you deserve this blade by rights."

Jeral shook his head doggedly and pressed the scabbard into Yoshimo's chest.

"Get your facts straight. Minsc killed him not me."

"And Minsc does not want such a tiny blade. That is more suited to Boo than to Minsc. Yoshimo should fight with the blade to administer a sneaky boot of goodness!" Minsc slammed a meaty hand down on the bar and took another shot of whisky.

"Very well then, if not Minsc than you Jeral, you lead us and deserve the blade." Jeral stepped forward and pressed the scabbard into Yoshimo's chest.

"You saved my life Yoshimo. If you had not intervened Koshi would have killed me. I was defenseless. Take the blade, you earned it, you are worthy of it."

"Jeral, I wield my father's katana. It would dishonor him to wield anything else."

Jeral smiled and placed the scabbard in Yoshimo's hands. "Yoshimo, you father would be thrilled to see his son wield a blade of legend. It will do your family proud."

Yoshimo swallowed and blinked rapidly as he nodded once – very slightly - and closed his hands reverently around the offered scabbard.

That night everyone rested easy at the Copper Coronet. Hendak and the other freed slaves were lavish in their gratitude and praise. Many of the serving staff were attired in finery liberated from the deceased slavers. Jeral and his companions could not pay for anything that night. Nalia and Anomen sat side by side at the table when they finally joined everyone for dinner. Anomen looked slightly dazed and embarrassed while Nalia looked radiant and happy. Nalia leaned forward and patted Jeral excitedly on the forearm.

"Isn't it wonderful Jeral, even after we each take a personal share we still have over 20,000 in gold in the rescue fund. We can now free your sister! We should see Gaelan Bayle as soon as we can on the morrow and pay the remainder of the fee so they will take us to your sister."

Jeral nodded glumly and drained his ale. "Nalia, I wish you were right but I fear that we are not yet ready, not even close."

"What do you mean Jeral?"

"Eventually we will have to face both the Cowled Wizards and the mage Irenicus. I am afraid to say it but the fact is that we are clearly not yet ready to face either. We need to be able to bring Imoen back alive and I need to be able to kill Irenicus."

"Nalia is right, a lady is in danger and by Helm we must fly to her rescue."

"Anomen I agree with the sentiment, I really do. It pains and shames me every moment that Imoen is imprisoned, but trust me on this one. You were not there. You did not see him; you did not feel his power. This Irenicus is a monster. We need to get stronger to survive, much stronger. If we face him now, we all die. If we get stronger he dies and we will live."

"I have yet to meet this male Irenicus, _Jaluk_ , but gaining power to make a battle easier is the way of drow. You may make some sense yet."

Jeral looked pleadingly at Anomen and Nalia. "Anomen, Nalia, I know you mean well but I know the enemy, as does Minsc. He is powerful beyond our measure right now. I need to be able to face and kill an incredibly powerful mage. If any travel with me they must also prepare for such a challenge."

"Boo agrees with Jeral. We must wait, but also hurry." Everyone looked at Minsc, stunned at the bit of wisdom, and the conversation ended.

After a few moments Jeral broke the silence.

"Tomorrow we can return to the sewers and search for that eyeless cult on behalf of Anomen's temple." Anomen nodded his thanks and the others just dreaded returning to the sewers. Everyone ate and drank in a contemplative silence as they pondered Jeral's words and prayed that Imoen would hold out until they managed to rescue her. It was well into the early hours of the morning before Jeral closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

"Nothing starts a day like a fun trip into the sewers, don't you agree?" Jeral asked Viconia cheerfully as he and Minsc slid the heavy iron sewer grate open in the alley next to the Temple of Helm.

"Absolutely not male. Wading in human filth is not how I like to begin a day, particularly when we run errands for fool worshippers of the surfacer Gods."

"Helm does not brook foolish worshippers drow." Anomen softened his tone as he continued, "Although I must agree that I do not like the idea of wading back into the sewers any more than you do. It takes forever to scrub everything out of my armored boots and the hose underneath will never come clean."

The others followed silently as Jeral slipped back into the sewers beneath the streets of the Temple District. The past few days in the city were dry so the water levels in the sewer were low. While the shallower water spared their legs from wading through filth, the lack of rain meant that the stench in the sewer was near overwhelming as the waste had not been diluted. Before any of them could gripe yet again about the smell the sounds of combat echoed through the tunnels. Yoshimo and Jeral led the way as the group quickly moved towards the sounds of combat. As the party rounded the corner they saw an aged fighter clad in a full suit of golden plate mail locked in combat with a dozen zombies. He fought with a gleaming two handed sword, moved with the skill of a seasoned warrior and attacked with sure precise strikes. Despite his advanced years the paladin was clearly a capable warrior as he easily dispatched the zombies before the party could reach him.

Hearing the approach of the party the plate clad warrior stood tall and placed his two handed sword out in front of himself, where he slowly lowered the tip of the blade to the ground. Breathing heavily and leaning on the hilt for support he squinted and examined the party with a critical eye.

Jeral took a moment to assess the man in front of him. The warrior was clearly more than twice Jeral's age. He was slightly taller than Anomen and of a similar muscular build from countless hours in the training yard. He also had a short grey goatee covering his strong chin. His handsome face was heavily tanned and weather beaten showing the wear of countless campaigns. As Jeral looked closer at the ornate plate mail armor he noticed that the symbol for Torm was engraved on the center of the man's chest plate. He had to be the paladin mentioned by the Temple of Helm.

Anomen stepped forward and lowered his head in a shallow bow as the paladin removed his open faced helm. His hair was grey and cropped short in a style favored by the nobility in Athkatla.

"Greetings Sir Keldorn, it is good to see you. We have been tasked to aid you in investigating the cult within the sewers."

Keldorn nodded briefly in response and then looked over the group. He immediately locked eyes with Viconia, gripped his blade firmly, and stiffened as he glared at her with open disdain.

"Halt and go no further. I sense the taint of evil amongst your midst." Keldorn's voice was deep and almost melodious; it was a natural voice of command.

Smiling Minsc stepped in front of Keldorn and held out his hamster to greet the paladin. "That is just the pretty dark one. She is not bad. Boo likes her and Boo is very wise. Or do you mean Yoshimo? He is not evil, he is just very sneaky. Or do you mean Jeral the Bhaalspawn? We have many taints of evil even though we all fight for goodness."

Viconia strode forward and placed herself next to Minsc. "I do not need any male to speak on my behalf Minsc. The large addled one is Minsc grey hair. I am Viconia formerly of the House De'Vir and I am indeed drow and proudly so. I am also no longer a follower of Lloth. I worship the Goddess Shar and I am also loyal to Jeral, for now."

"Had to add the last bit didn't you?" Jeral jibed. "And I am Jeral the Bhaalspawn but I like to think that I am a likeable enough fellow despite that."

"Well as the squire said I am Sir Keldorn Firecam, a paladin in the service of Torm and a Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart."

"I see you have Squire Anomen with you. Therefore, I must assume your goals are somewhat noble. Perhaps if the rest of you all introduced yourselves properly I could make a more thorough judgment?"

Jeral nodded and sheathed his blades. "As I said, I am Jeral of Candlekeep, I seek the release of my sister who was unjustly captured by the Cowled Wizards. This is the ranger Minsc and his animal companion Boo. You know squire Anomen, that is the Lady Nalia De'Arnise, Viconia of the House DeVir, and Yoshimo."

"The rescue of one's sister is indeed a noble quest, however I doubt you will find your sister in the sewers beneath Akhkatla."

"We are down here for the same reason you are. We are looking for a not so secret eyeless cult on behest of the Temple of Helm. The church suggested that we find you and work together."

Keldorn scratched his head and nodded thoughtfully, "well there is indeed safety in numbers, and I did not get to be my age without allies. Very well I accept," Keldorn paused to slide his helm back onto his head before raising an armored arm and pointing directly at Jeral, "although keep the foul drow away from me."

"Relax wrinkled one, your stench is sufficient to keep me well away from you, even improved as it is by the scent of the human excrement that coats your armored boots."

Keldorn bit back a retort and stalked off down the tunnel. Shaking his head Jeral followed with the others in tow to look for this suspicious cult. After wending their way through a trapped room that filled with gas and undead mist creatures the party finally found the entrance to the secret cult's hidden lair.

"Why did you have me dragged away from speaking to that evil priest? How dare you! I am a Knight of the Order of the Most Radiant Heart! How dare you put your hands on me!" Keldorn was furious. His red face radiated heat from under his open faced helm.

Jeral pulled the paladin to the side and spoke in a loud whisper. "Keldorn I do apologize but look at you. Your entire person screams ' _Paladin_.' Viconia, Yoshimo and I look the least reputable of all of us so it made sense for us to speak with this cult leader Gaal. You and Anomen would never pass as potential cult members for you are both too well known in this city. We cannot fight the entire cult, we would be slaughtered. I should have thought of it earlier but I did not realize that until the very last minute so that was why I asked Minsc and Nalia to lead the two of you away."

Shaking his head the aged Paladin slowly calmed down and Jeral was relieved to see the color leave his face.

"Despite my age and experience I am sometimes slow to see wisdom. I see that you speak the truth young one. I must admit that I am ill suited to deception, and I forget that deception can serve a beneficial purpose from time to time. I do apologize for my outburst. Let us go and retrieve the half of this supposed holy rod so you three can prove worthy to join their numbers. "

Using a key provided by Gaal the party entered a crypt that held a large ornately carved coffin on a raised dias. The evil emanating from the coffin was palpable and the group hurried through the room after having a brief conversation with a former cultist named Sasser. The blind former cultist told of fleeing the cult and now blind and defenseless had elected to make his home in the dark and depressing crypt.

After disarming a lightning trap and defeating a few shadows the group descended into the lower dungeons. The lower level was pitch black and the floors were covered in dust. Clearly no living thing had walked these steps in some time.

After Nalia and Jeral conjured a quartet of mage lights the group slowly moved forward down a long corridor. The corridor ended in a large underground cavern with a small structure in the middle. It appeared to be a small temple in the middle of the chamber. The structure apparently bridged over a large chasm that split the room in half. Yoshimo and Nalia scouted ahead of the rest, at the end of the mage light. They disarmed a trap, answered a couple of riddles, and then crossed a bridge that suddenly appeared upon completion of the second riddle.

Hovering on the other side of the cavern were three large round creatures that appeared to float in mid air. Yoshimo and Nalia faded back out of their sight to return to the group and discuss the situation.

"They look like beholders only smaller," Nalia whispered.

"I believe they are called gauths if I recall what my master taught me many seasons ago."

"Well names are helpful Yoshimo, but knowledge of their weaknesses would be nicer."

Smiling Yoshimo looked over at Jeral.

"Come now Jeral, I am fortunate to even remember the names. That was a very long time ago, I had just discovered the ladies and I was not really paying attention to my studies. If I recall correctly he did say they are quite nasty creatures. But how bad can they be? For we are seven, with the aged paladin, while they are just three. What more do we need to know?" Shaking his head Jeral followed the thief as they all moved to attack.

 _Well that did not go well,_ Jeral thought to himself as he shakily got to his feet. He looked around at the scene of carnage all around him. Gauths, shadows and party members lay strewn haphazardly in a rough circle around him. Yoshimo was in the back of the battle lying on the ground with his new katana on the ground beside his body. He was quite dead with a large series of scorch marks on the center of his torso. He had led the charge against the three gauths and was felled by three energy blasts from the creatures. His sacrifice had allowed the remainder of the party to close with the creatures. Once the party had closed with the floating eye monsters they were able to quickly fell the creatures, but not before both Viconia and Nalia were seriously wounded.

If the gauths had not been bad enough they were not alone in the cavern. As the final gauth fell to a combined assault from the great swords of Minsc and Keldorn a half dozen shadow creatures materialized and sprang upon the group. They drained and mauled Keldorn and Jeral before they were blasted out of existence by a holy incantation from Anomen. Jeral watched Anomen as he slowly walked amongst the wounded healing the party as best he could with the spells he had available. Once complete he strode over and stood in front of Jeral.

"Jeral, I fear that we can go no further. Despite my efforts Viconia and Nalia are still wounded, you and Sir Keldorn are drained, and Yoshimo is dead. I can not sure if I can even raise him for Helm has yet to grant me that gift. Viconia or I can probably raise him with the rod of resurrection but that will leave him weak. We must find a safe place to rest, heal and regain our strength."

Jeral scanned his companions and saw that all save Minsc were exhausted and badly in need of rest or healing. "You are correct Anomen, let us make our way back to the upper level." With Minsc in the lead carrying Yoshimo over his shoulder, and Anomen in the rear, the party slowly made their way back to the crypt on the upper level. Once there Sasser assured them that the crypt was a safe, albeit extremely unsettling, place to rest.

Anomen knelt over the body of Yoshimo, pointed the rod and Yoshimo and uttered the command to the rod. A blue light descended over Yoshimo and he sat up with a pained cry. Anomen restrained him and laid him gently on the ground. Taking a minor healing potion he poured it down Yoshimo's throat. Yoshimo smiled and thanked the cleric. Turning to his side he looked over at Jeral, "it looks like we both should have paid more attention to our studies for they were clearly more of a challenge than I anticipated." As he completed the sentence his eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out.

The party rested in place for a full day. During that time Jeral and Keldorn were restored and everyone had the time to fully rest and recuperate from their wounds. For a second time the party descended into the lower crypts. They returned to the site of their prior battle without incident. They picked their way through the corpses and continued deeper into the crypt. After numerous winding hallways the narrow tunnel opened up into a large underground cavern. The cavern was lit by glowing lichens that grew on the walls and ceiling of the cavern, bathing it in a dull yellow light. On the far side of the cavern there was a large temple and a network of stone walkways that crisscrossed over an underground lake. The entire cavern felt cold, sadness and loss seemed to almost echo through the space.

"I know all the current deities in the realm and that temple is not dedicated to any one that I recognize," Anomen intoned.

"It is not of any I have witnessed in the underdark," Viconia added.

"I sense no evil in this place, just emptiness." With that comment Keldorn slowly led the way towards the temple.

Jeral knew he remembered the temple's holy symbol from his readings at Candlekeep and he racked his brains to remember what it was as he followed the others. As the party negotiated the stone walkways they started to see people appear out of small caves on the far side of the cavern behind the temple. The party readied their weapons and slowed their pace. Jeral counted the people that appeared out of the caves and stopped when he reached one hundred. "This could get real interesting. We may want to think about this."

Keldorn pressed a reassuring mail gauntlet on Jeral's shoulder. "Stay your weapons. I sense no evil from any of them. Torm's sight would inform me if evil were in front of us."

"Boo says they are not evil. They are just extremely weary and ready to depart."

"Ready to depart? What does Boo mean by that?" Jeral could not believe that he was asking a hamster a question.

"Boo has nothing more to say but Minsc is sure Boo is right. Boo is always right and Boo is much smarter than Minsc. Boo is smarter even that Dynaheir was, although Minsc could not say that where she could hear it." The mention of Dynaheir caused the large ranger to hang his head and fight back tears as he walked forward.

The party reached the entrance to the temple and paused as they were surrounded by the residents of the cavern. They all wore dark robes, faded with time until their original color was impossible to determine. Their faces were pale from decades without sun and were gaunt from lack of food, all in all, a thoroughly unhealthy lot. One, taller than the rest, stepped forward to stand in front of Keldorn.

"Greetings," he intoned dully.

Incredulous Viconia could not back bite a sharp retort. "A group of armed adventurers appears in your dank hole, amongst that group there is a spectacular female example of the true elven race, the drow, and all you can say is hello? Unbelievable." Nalia, Anomen and Keldorn all turned to stare at the drow with stunned looks on their faces. Jeral and Yoshimo both tried to hide their grins while Minsc just stood blank faced as he eyed the crowd growing around them.

 _Stay tuned for more action against the eyeless cult._

 _I do not know about you but Gauths are one of my least favorite monsters to fight. The first time I ran into them at this exact point in the game they tore my group apart. Once you get close to them they are easy to kill but the energy beams at a distance are just brutal._


	19. Into the Pit of Souls

Chapter 19: Into the Pit of Souls

The gaunt man turned to look at Viconia, his face remained utterly devoid of any life or emotion and his voice rang out monotonic and lifeless. "Very well, it is clear that you expect an in-depth response. Where shall I begin? We are all that remains of a once widespread religion lost in the wisps of time. We are destined to remain her until the end of days since our God no longer exists and we cannot enter the promised afterlife. We are fated to exist in this cavern for all time. Therefore you can understand my lack of enthusiasm for your arrival. Anything else you would like to know?"

"Pardon her lack of manners, she is a creature of darkness, you can expect nothing else." Keldorn pointed to the temple. "We have need of a relic that resides within, may we enter your temple?"

The man merely stared at the temple and then turned to look at Keldorn. "That is no temple. Once it was a home of our God, now it is an empty shell of its former self, as are we all. Enter, do not enter, it makes no difference to us."

Keldorn nodded respectfully and led the way into the temple. Stunned by the man's apathy Viconia could only shake her head in disgust as she passed the man, closely followed by Jeral. The interior of the temple was large and brightly lit by magical braziers that still burned around the walls of the temple even after the passage of so much time. As the party fanned out around the main chamber a bright red light appeared in the middle of the floor. The seven watched in horror as a large horned demon started crawling through the floor of the temple. It slowly pulled itself upright. It was over ten feet tall and stared at the party with an intense stare. The oddest thing about the creature was that the body was slightly translucent.

The demon screamed, "Feed the hate!" and raised its claws in a threatening manner. The voice echoed throughout the cavern and made the hair on Jeral's neck stand up on end. Transfixed with fear the party members readied for the demon's attack. The demon did not attack and instead screamed "Feed the hate!" again. The party still remained tensed and ready for an attack. The demon screamed again and gnashed his fangs but did not move to attack. Jeral lowered his blades and stared at the demon. Slowly he walked towards it.

"Jeral, have a care, that beast can slice you in half with those claws."

"Thank you for the words of warning Anomen but I know what I am doing." _I think._ Jeral slowly sheathed his swords and approached the demon. Standing squarely in front of the creature Jeral smiled and looked up at the beast.

"Let me guess, you can't attack us unless we attack you." The creature snarled and howled but made no move to strike. Jeral started to mutter quietly to himself. Channeling a bit of his essence he reached out and placed his hands in the shadowy mass of the demon. A rush of warmth left his hands as a minor healing spell coursed through the demon. The beast screamed in pain and slowly dissolved back into the floor.

Wiping his hands together Jeral smiled at the others and shrugged his shoulders.

"Sometimes I guess right."

"You are wise beyond your years Jeral of Candlekeep. I owe you and your friends a debt of gratitude."

Jeral whirled about and stumbled to the floor, startled by the deep imposing voice. A tall man clad in robes of a deep rich gold stood before the group. Smiling he glided over to stand in front of the group. "I am the avatar of this temple. You have defeated the guardian that torments me, and for that I am grateful. Sadly, he will return shortly so I must be brief. I know why you are here. Take this half of the rod and defeat the creature. Use the relic for some good and then return it to me. Only an act such as that can give my people what they so sorely lack."

"And what is that?" Keldorn asked.

"Why hope and faith, my good paladin; for those are the cornerstone of any theology. My followers need hope and faith if they ever wish to be free and enter the afterlife. I can say no more. Go and defeat the eyeless one and return to me." Without another word the avatar faded from view.

As Jeral and the others exited the temple the mass of people looked on dispassionately.

The gaunt man stepped forward again and spoke, "You see. There is nothing there anymore. These outsiders took the holy relic without any challenge at all. We are truly lost for all time."

Anomen stopped and surveyed the crowd slowly. "Know this good people," he said in a loud firm voice, "your God has given us the relic to fight a great evil. There is still goodness and power residing within."

The man ripped tufts of hair from his head as he screamed at Anomen. "Our God has forsaken us! Why should we believe you?"

Anomen smiled reassuringly as he turned to walk away. "When we return victorious you will have your sign." The crowd parted and stirred uneasily as the seven departed. Jeral quickly

led the others from the temple and back up to the upper level crypt. As the reentered the tomb Sasser lurched to his feet and staggered towards the group.

"You have the device! Well done, very well done. What will you do next?"

"Viconia, Yoshimo and I will present the device to Gall as requested and then we will infiltrate his cult and figure out a plan from there."

Sasser sucked in a deep breath and waved his hands about from side to side.

"You cannot do that. If Gaal gets the rod then all is lost."

"What are you not telling us Sasser?"

The blind ex cultist dropped down on his haunches and buried his head in his hands. "I was once as you are, young, full of hope and looking to make my mark on the realm. Gaal filled my head with visions of wonder and power and the unseeing eye game me powers beyond measure. I was sent on a mission with a few others to an abandoned temple far from here in the Umar Hills. There we recovered the other half of the rod you now hold in your hands. I presented it to Gaal and he immediately tried to destroy it. Nothing he did could so much as mark the relic, the powers within it were stronger that his. Enraged he threw it into the pit of souls to ensure no one could ever use it against the unseeing eye."

"So you have already said Gaal cannot destroy the rod so what is the concern?"

"He is smarter now, if he gets that rod he will send it far away and ensure the two pieces never meet; for assembled the rod can defeat the unseeing eye."

"Bah!" Keldorn scoffed, "armored with our faith we shall triumph, nothing else is necessary."

Sasser turned to stare at Keldorn, his eyeless sockets seemed to look right through the paladin. After a moment Sasser smiled, showing a mouthful of broken and decaying teeth. "You sound like a Tormite. Unfortunately, your faith is insufficient to carry you to victory here. We are deep underground, far from the sight of your surface deities. You need to assemble the rod and use it to strike down the creature. If you can destroy the unseeing eye then the cult will crumble."

Keldorn nodded gravely and bowed to the elderly man, "Rest assured that I will do as you say and destroy the beast."

Sasser chuckled and licked his cracked and bleeding lips. "You cannot wield the device and survive. Only that one can." He raised a withered arm and pointed it directly at Jeral. Keldorn stiffened and looked from Jeral to Sasser, "Why him?"

"The power in the relic is the remains of a long dead God. It is too much for a mere mortal. Only the child of Bhaal has any chance of survival."

Jeral stiffened as his hand dropped to the pommel of the Blade of Roses, "How can you possibly know that about me Sasser?"

"Peace child, I am no threat to you. I am indeed long blind Jeral but I have learned to see. I was one of the very first to join the cult long ago. I was a young priest of Helm and was frustrated by the tenants of the faith. The unseeing eye promised me power without limitations, without rules. To lose my eyes to gain true vision was a sacrifice I was willing to pay."

"But this so call god stripped you of your powers. So you are now doubly blind."

"That is true, but in my time here I have learned many things, I have finally gained the wisdom I desperately sought. I can sense things about people that others cannot. Somehow I can now see into a man's soul, I can see his very essence. Perhaps Helm has heard my prayers of repentance and granted me this gift, I know not."

"So what do you see when you look at us?" Jeral asked quietly.

Sasser ran his eyeless gaze over each member of the party in turn and then returned his gaze to Jeral. "This is a very powerful group you have assembled, each has a strong essence. But two stand out more than the others. The woman there," he said pointing directly at Viconia. "her essence is more than human, it burns more brightly, although the light and the darkness are in conflict with one another. She is struggling within herself to settle on a new path and leave the darkness behind."

Viconia snorted dismissively but moved to ensure that Minsc stood between her and the blind priest. Sasser returned his unsettling gaze to Jeral as he continued, "You, your essence is unique. There is darkness within you and it is incredibly powerful. It pulses as if it is alive and it is struggling, fighting, to come out. "Jeral shuddered at the man's words. "But there is light within you and it is bright, incredibly bright, almost impossibly bright. It may be enough to hold back the darkness. I cannot say. But what I can say is that you need to find the other half of the rod, assemble it and use it to strike down the unseeing eye."

Jeral nodded grimly and looked around at the group. "Very well, how can we get into the cultist's lair undetected and how do we enter this pit of souls?"

"Wait until the hour just before dawn. That is when most of the cultists will be in their chambers deep in prayer. The entrance should be lightly guarded. Kill the guards quietly and enter the lair. Take the walkway to the left once you enter and you will find a small set of stairs heading down. Take those and they will lead you to the pit of souls. Know that all sorts of foul creatures live there, I have heard of the undead, gauths, beholders and the mighty unseeing eye himself. The way will not be easy and be ready, for the instant you assemble the rod the unseeing eye will sense its presence and move to destroy you all."

There was nothing more to be said so the group settled down to rest. At the appointed hour Sasser rose and simply stated, "it is time. May Helm guide you and protect you." Wordlessly Jeral rose and led the way out of the chamber followed by the others. Sasser stood quietly as they filed past. When Yoshimo passed by Sasser's arm shot out and clenched his forearm in an iron grip. "There is dark magic inside you, it has wrapped itself around you very soul. If you do not remove it soon it may consume you."

Yoshimo gritted his teeth and drew his katana and few inches out of the scabbard. "Unhand me or die you old fool," he hissed. Sasser released his grip and shook his head. "There are ways to escape the darkness my child; you just need to ask for help. There are always those who will listen" Yoshimo spit at Sasser's feet and strode away. As he rounded the corner Sasser's sensitive ears could hear him muttering sadly to himself, "You are wrong old man, it is far too late for me. There is no escape."

The party made their way back to the entrance to the complex. Sasser was correct and only a pair of chain mail clad guards stood watch. The men stood unmoving, their backs to the heavy wooden double doors, as they held their halberds in mailed hands. Like Gaal both men had hollow empty sockets where their eyes should be.

"We need to kill the fools quietly Jeral, else our extremely dangerous plan becomes suicidal."

Jeral nodded slightly to Viconia as he stared at the guards across the chamber. Yoshimo patted Jeral on the shoulder and whispered, "Allow me Jeral." He quickly unsheathed his katana, took a sip of a potion, and disappeared from sight. The group waited at the far side of the chamber as they watched the guards for any sign of Yoshimo. Suddenly the left hand guard slashed downward with his halberd and Yoshimo uttered a muffled cry. Something about the attack dispelled his invisibility and the group watched in horror as the heavy axe head of the halberd cut deeply into his shoulder, tearing through armor, flesh and bone. The party watched him driven to the floor as a torrent of blood poured from the massive wound. The guard raised his halberd to deliver the killing blow and crowed with pride, "The unseeing eye grants us vision greater than that of any poor fool with two eyes. We see everything!" The second guard raised his halberd and the men gently tapped their weapons together in some version of a celebratory toast before finishing Yoshimo off.

The delay would save Yoshimo's life and cost the guards theirs. A hand axe came whirling end over end out of the darkness and caught the left hand guard in the center of the chest. The axe head buried deeply in his chest and hurled him against the wooden double doors. His lifeless body bounced off the doors and dropped to the floor where he lay unmoving in an ever expanding pool of blood. The second guard stood transfixed as he quickly moved his head between the corpse on the floor, Yoshimo, and the darkness at the far side of the chamber. A second hand axe whirled end over end out of the darkness heading for the second guard. Unlike the first hand axe this one glowed with an odd pinkish hue. The guard tilted his head to the side as he if was perplexed by the axe hurling towards him. At the last instant the guard allowed his legs to collapse and he dropped, looking to evade the axe. As he dropped the axe head missed his torso and instead tore into his face. The force behind the weapon caused the guard's head to explode like an overripe melon as the axe head continued on to bury itself in the door.

Minsc strode forward out of the darkness chuckling, "That was a good one Boo. The guards can see everything but they did not see that coming." Jeral watched in amazement as the pair of hand axes flew through the air and returned to Minsc as if on invisible strings. Anomen and Viconia quickly passed Minsc and the pair of healers squatted down on each side of Yoshimo to examine the badly wounded bounty hunter. After a cursory examination Viconia stood up and placed her hands on her hips while Anomen uttered a prayer and healed the worst of his wounds. "He cannot accompany us. He will live but it will be days until he can properly use his arm again. We must enter now before the dead guards are discovered."

Anomen rose to his feet and wiped his bloody hands on his tunic. "I fear that Viconia is correct Jeral, he is out of danger but he cannot fight or use the arm. We should leave him with Sasser. He has sufficient potions to allow himself to mend well enough until we can properly fix his shoulder." Yoshimo was pale from the loss of blood, embarrassed from his unexpected discovery, and in pain as he lay at Anomen's feet.

Jeral nodded grimly and was very unhappy to have lost his scout before they even entered the lair. Anomen and Keldorn helped Yoshimo back to the crypt that was Sasser's home. While the others waited Jeral turned to Minsc and asked, "Minsc, where did you get that second axe and why is it pink?" Smiling Minsc looked down at the axe and then over at Jeral. "After I helped Hendak build the stables he gave it to me as a gift. He said that it is very powerful and is designed to defeat the undead. He said that is was known as 'Azuredge' and he was sure I could put it to good use. Just like my other axe it returns after I throw it so it is a very good thing to have. And Boo says it is not pink, it is light red." Before Jeral could inquire further Anomen strode up to Jeral and handed him a small pouch full of potions. "Yoshimo asked me to give these potions to you. They will allow you to move unseen an act as the scout in his stead." Jeral gratefully took the pouch and tucked it into the small pack he carried.

Holding his breath Jeral pushed against the right hand door and it silently swung open on well oiled hinges. They cautiously entered and found that they were standing on a stone ledge inside a large natural cavern. A wooden platform wended its way around the outside of the cavern and led to dozens of small chambers. In other places the paths led to stone stairs carved in the rocks that led to cave openings well above their heads. The entire cavern was bathed in a faint yellow light as the same glowing lichens were present here as in the lower caverns. Mercifully the walkways all appeared deserted. Jeral immediately turned to the left and followed the walkway a few hundred paces before he came to a narrow set of stone stairs that led downwards into the darkness. As Jeral peered down into the darkness he inhaled and almost gagged. The air below reeked of rot and decay.

Jeral quickly conjured a pair of dark blue mage lights and sent them off to lead the way. Nalia conjured a pair of light green mage lights and set them hovering behind the group. Everyone readied their weapons and slowly, cautiously, descended the stairs. As Jeral stepped off the last stair his foot squished into the moist soft surface that passed for the ground in this portion of the cavern. The cavern was mercifully empty and the party slowly made their way across the cavern to a narrow tunnel opposite the stairs. The tunnel was wide enough to allow three to walk abreast and tall enough where Minsc could not raise his arm to touch the ceiling. It was just as well he could not touch the ceiling for every surface of the tunnel was covered in rotting flesh. The entire tunnel seemed alive and the smell of rot and decay was overwhelming as Jeral struggled to fight the bile rising in his throat.

Anomen bent over and nosily vomited on the tunnel floor. As he straightened back up his pale face looked around in horror. "What kind of abomination is this?" Viconia strode over to the wall and tore a chunk of flesh off the wall and held it close to her face and inhaled deeply. "This is powerful magic Anomen, powerful dark magic." Anomen looked at her questioningly so she continued, "This is death magic, many who practice the art of necromancy can create a place like this to better house their undead creatures. The heat and humidity help the creatures move more quickly. This type of construct also makes the undead more powerful and extremely resistant to clerical control or turning. If this unseeing eye created this he is extremely powerful. These are known as hives in my world, it appears that this pit of souls is a very dangerous place indeed."

"Leave it to a creature of darkness to know of this foul magic." Viconia sneered at the aged paladin as she replied venomously, "Unlike you grey one, I seek out knowledge about things I do not understand. My knowledge of this does not imply approval, I am merely trying to prepare the group for they will face. Keldorn's handsome face twisted in a scowl as he snapped at Viconia, "My faith is all I need to prepare me for any challenge." Viconia gave a mocking bow and motioned Keldorn forward. "Please let the way virtuous one, I am sure we will all benefit from your leadership." Muttering under his breath, Keldorn tightened his grip in his massive blade and stalked off down the tunnel. Jeral sent his mage lights forward to lead the way and Minsc and Anomen quickly followed the paladin.

Jeral locked eyes with Viconia, "Was that really necessary?" Viconia smiled and moved to stand next to Nalia. "Of course it was not necessary, but I do so enjoy watching pathetic males get so very frustrated." The smile left her face as she started intently at Jeral, "Know that I will not make any attempt on his life. But if he attacks me I will kill him without hesitation." Shaking his head Jeral trotted off down the tunnel after the three plate clad warriors and wondered what he could do to keep Viconia from killing Keldorn.

The passage ended in a large chamber that was home to a large number of undead creatures. They creatures spotted the party and attacked in waves. A mob of zombies and a large ghoul came first. The party made quick work of the lesser undead with the trio of plate clad warriors cutting through them like a scythe through wheat. The lesser undead were followed by a pair of mummies and a trio of massive skeleton warriors. The greater undead tore into the party's ranks and the front line of Jeral, Minsc, Anomen and Keldorn was hard pressed to hold against the large and powerful creatures. The mummies seemed almost impervious to damage and soon Minsc and Keldorn were bleeding from a number of wounds and Jeral was wholly on the defense as he dodged attack after attack.

"Fire!" He shouted. "The mummies are vulnerable to fire!"

Heeding Jeral's words Nalia unleashed a barrage of flaming arrows from her enchanted short bow against the mummies. As each arrow struck home the flames slowly took hold and started to spread over the creature. Muttering about how she hated wasting her valuable potions Viconia pulled out one of her special potion bottles and hurled it on the other side of the undead creatures. The blast from the explosion drove everyone off their feet. A wall of fire rolled towards the party and totally consumed the pair of mummies before winking out. The group quickly scrambled to their feet to defend against the trio of skeleton warriors who were unaffected by the flames. The trio of massive skeletons fought with massive two handed swords and the slammed into the front rank of fighters.

Anomen took a few steps back from the combat and started chanting. He was attempting to destroy the undead creatures.

"Anomen!" Viconia cried, "cease that foolishness! It will not work here. They are too powerful!" Anomen shook his head stubbornly and continued chanting. A faint glow surrounded the Helmite and flickered briefly before it winked out. Confused and disappointed Anomen looked around distractedly. His lack of attention was costly for one of the skeletons bulled past Keldorn and attacked Anomen. His sword smashed into Anomen's armored shoulder. The blade did not pierce his enchanted plate but the force of the blow caused him to cry in pain and drove him to the ground. As he hit the ground his flail slipped from his grasp and slid away. The beast redoubled its attacks and struck at Anomen on the ground. He barely managed to pull his shield over his face and intercept the strike.

Keldorn saw Anomen in danger and made a move to assist him but he found his way blocked by the other two skeleton warriors who were giving him, Minsc and Jeral all they could handle. Minsc was ineffectually chipping away at the skeleton warriors with his pair of small axes. They looked like toys in his massive armored fists. Keldorn watched in horror as the skeleton warrior pinned Anomen's shield arm to the side with a massive bony foot. Before the creature could press its advantage Viconia stepped over the prone Helmite and smashed her hammer into the creature's left hip. The hip cracked and small bone chips fell to the floor. The skeleton swung at Viconia and she easily ducked under the sweeping blow. She struck at the hip a second time and then a third. On the third strike the hip shattered and the beast toppled to the floor. Before it could recover she threw herself on the beast and shattered its skull with two rapid hammer strikes. As the skull shattered the bones fell to the floor, inanimate once again. Nodding once at Anomen Viconia leapt to her feet and strode towards the other two skeleton warriors twirling her hammer aggressively.

"Minsc!" she bellowed impatiently. "Put away those toys. Use Licaror to shatter their bones." Nodding once Minsc dropped the small axes and drew Licaror from the baldric that hung diagonally across his back. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Keldorn the two started bashing the left hand skeleton warrior while Jeral and Viconia fought the one on the right. Working together each pair managed to defeat the skeleton warrior opposing them without too much damage.

Panting from exertion Minsc and Keldorn each dropped to a knee as blood continued to flow from a handful of small wounds. Viconia and Nalia helped Anomen to his feet and Viconia quickly healed the minor wound in his shoulder. Nodding his thanks as he worked his arm to regain feeling in it Anomen strode over to heal Keldorn while Viconia tended to Minsc. As Anomen tended to Keldorn the aged paladin whispered to the Helmite, "How can you let that foul creature touch you Squire Anomen? Who know what damage her dark magics can do?"

"This is not the time or the place Sir Keldorn," Anomen replied in a whisper. "Viconia has been a loyal ally and I trust her." Keldorn stared into the Helmite's eyes. "Then I question your judgment Squire Anomen. I am not sure you are worthy of joining the Order." Surprising himself Anomen could only smile and walk away from the paladin. As he turned he looked back and smiled, "Helm approves of my path so I walk it knowing I am in the light. If Helm approves then that should be good enough for the Order as well Sir Keldorn."

While the healers tended to the wounded fighters, Nalia and Jeral poked around the chamber looking for anything of value or of use. Dozens of corpses lay around the room in various stages of decomposition. The majority of the corpses were dressed in robes from various temples, clearly the remains of individuals who wanted to join the cult but then had fatal second thoughts. A smaller number of fresh corpses were clad in well made sets of chain or splint mail and shattered swords and battles axes lay strewn around their position. It looked as if a small squad of soldiers had met their end within the very same chamber. Jeral waded through the pile of corpses picking up gems and coins from intact coin purses on some of the corpses. After a few moments his gaze settled on a pair of gauntlets on a pair of arms that lacked a corresponding body. The gloves were made of very supple dark brown leather and small metal discs covered the back of the hand and the area around the wrist. Jeral stepped forward and carefully removed the gauntlets from the arms and stared at them for a long moment. Smiling, he softly called Nalia's name and tossed the gauntlets to her. She rolled them over in her hands and then muttered an incantation. The gloves flashed yellow for an instant and smiling, she tossed the gauntlets back to Jeral.

"Are these what I think they are Nalia?" Nodding her head in agreement she smiled at Jeral. "Yes they are heavily enchanted gauntlets and make the wearer extremely agile. I know exactly who can make the most use of these." Nalia quickly took the gauntlets out of Jeral's hands and strode over to stand next to Anomen. Smiling up at the Helmite she extended her arms and presented him the gauntlets. "Anomen, please remove your gauntlets and put these on"

"My lady? Why would I want to wear gloves such as these? I have a fine set of metal gauntlets that are a perfect match for my armor. Those look more suitable for someone else." Nalia arched an eyebrow as she smiled innocently at the heavily armored Helmite. "Haven't you learned your lesson yet? When you listen to me and do what I ask you to do very good things happen. Very, very good things." Anomen's eyes widened in realization and he blushed furiously. Nodding in understanding he removed his metal gauntlets and replaced them with the leather ones from Nalia. He flexed his fingers into the gloves and looked at Nalia, "Satisfied?" He asked.

"Extremely, my dear. But how do the gauntlets feel?" He blushed even more than before as he struggled to speak, "They feel very comfortable my lady but they are less protection than my metal gauntlets."

Nalia turned to walk away, "Keep them one Anomen, you will see how they are beneficial. I promise." Looking skeptical Anomen picked up his old gauntlets and tucked them into his pack. Jeral and Viconia crossed the chamber and entered into a small tunnel that led them deeper into the hive.

The tunnel wended on for some time and then ended at yet another fleshy chamber. In the middle of the chamber was a pulsating pool of strange fluid.

"Prepare yourselves, my fellow warriors for good;" Keldorn intoned solemnly, "we are now in the lair of the beholders. Expect the great eye, lesser beholders and more of the gauths from earlier."

"How are you so well informed grey one?"

"Speak not to me foul drow!" After a pause Keldorn continued, "However since the question is relevant I will answer. The Order sent down a small force a week ago to conduct some reconnaissance. Many of them lay in that chamber we just passed through. They managed to capture some cultists, retreated to the surface, and brought them back to the Order. We learned much upon questioning them."

"So paladins are not above torture. How refreshing, perhaps I can teach the Order's tortures some tricks." Viconia purred.

Keldorn raised his two handed sword and faced the drow. "Speak not of the Order foul creature, lest I strike you down. We had mages compel them to speak with spells, we did not harm then in any way."

Viconia hefted her war hammer and tapped it lightly against her small shield. Smiling she taunted the paladin. "It has been some time since I killed a paladin. This should be enjoyable."

She spread her arms wide with a flourish and then assumed a defensive crouch as she dared the paladin to attack. Keldorn adjusted his grip on his blade and pulled it back in preparation of a strike.

"Enough." Jeral moved between the two potential combatants and raised his hands.

"Viconia, silence. Please." An imploring look followed his statement. Jeral then turned and faced Keldorn.

"And as for you, make no mistake. If it comes to blows I will side with Viconia and not with you."

"Misc and Boo are with the pretty dark one as well."

Jeral nodded in thanks and quickly continued, "I will not try to reason with you concerning your opinions about Viconia. However we are in the lair of a common enemy and have a job to do on behalf of the Temple of Helm. When the job is done we part ways."

With a sneer Keldorn nodded slightly and lowered his sword.

With that resolved Jeral drank a potion and winked from view. "Wait here," he told the others as he left to scout ahead. The others nervously waited with weapons ready as they readied to face whatever was next.

Returning almost an hour later the party started when they heard Jeral's disembodied voice.

"My apologies for taking so long but this hive is immense and I had to move very carefully. This place is a warren of tunnels and there are beholders and gauths everywhere. I found the other half of the rod and I found a path that avoids many but not all of the creatures down here. The rod is guarded by a beholder and there is a gauth and a band of blind cultists on the way. So long as I do not attack I can stay invisible and be your eyes." The others all nodded at the wisdom of his words.

"Up ahead around the corner is a single gauth. Can anyone summon any creatures?"

"Jeral, you know we cannot create skeletons within this place," Anomen said dejectedly. "Our abilities are limited here."

The disembodied voice responded, "Nalia do you have any conjuring spells memorized?"

"Sorry Jeral, I do not, I have never really gotten the hang of conjuring spells."

"Very well, I think we need to fall back on the old standby plan known as 'charge around the corner and kill it,' Anomen, think you can put those boots of yours to use?" Anomen nodded once, adjusted the grip on his great flail, and sprinted off around the corner. The group heard the sound of an energy blast followed by the sound of Anomen's flail striking wet flesh. After the sound of a few more blows a heavy object fell to the floor of the hive. Anomen walked back into view looking completely unscathed from the ordeal.

"Squire Anomen," Keldorn formally intoned. "How did you manage to defeat that creature and emerge unscathed? Its first energy blast should have left at least some mark on you."

Anomen nodded to the aged paladin but before he could reply Jeral's disembodied voice spoke again in an awestruck tone, "He dodged it. He dodged the creature's blast."

Nalia strode forward and rose up on her tiptoes so she could give Anomen a peck on his bearded cheek, "Those are gauntlets of dexterity. You are now as agile as any man in the realm. With your armor, my father's flail and now these gauntlets you are a formidable warrior indeed." Anomen nodded gravely but could not stop the smile that appeared on his face.

"Nalia and Viconia, can you come with me please?" Jeral placed himself between the pair, held hands with each of them and slowly walked deeper into the hive. After a short walk he stopped and released their arms. "See that light ahead?" He whispered and they both nodded in understanding. "There are a dozen heavily armed cultists milling around there. I think they are a patrol looking for us, they must have discovered the bodies at the door. Nalia, could you send a cloudkill their way? Viconia, could you toss one of your lovely potions?" The women looked at one another, smiled and nodded. Nalia started casting while Viconia pulled a large potion vial full of a bubbling yellow liquid out of her pouch. Nalia completed her spell and a large cloud of poison started floating down the corridor, once Viconia saw that appear she hurled the potion with all of her might. The explosion from the potion shook the hive and the screams of badly injured cultists echoed through the hive. The poison cloud settled over the injured cultists and added to their screams. After a few moments the screams ceased.

"Please stay here while I take a look," Jeral muttered. After a moment he returned and whispered to the pair of women, "You got all of them, very well done ladies. Let me take your hands and return you to the others." Once the party was back together Jeral drank another invisibility potion to ensure the affects did not wear off at an inopportune time.

"The way is clear to the rod. Viconia and I will lead the way." Jeral took Viconia by the hand and the party watched as the drow walked off down the tunnel accompanied by Jeral's mage lights. After carefully and quietly moving through the hive Jeral stopped them before the entrance to a small side chamber.

"The other half of the rod is in there guarded by a beholder. I am going in. Count to twenty and then enter. I will be right behind the creature so when you attack it try and not to miss." Jeral crept in and positioned himself behind the beholder as it floated in the center of the room. The remainder of the party rounded the corner and charged the beholder. Before Jeral could act the creature fired a lightning bolt out of its central eye. Everyone dove clear of the spell save Sir Keldorn; he took the full impact of the spell as it struck him on the center of his armored chest. Moaning in pain Keldorn staggered for a few steps and dropped to the ground. With no time to worry about the paladin Jeral slashed down with the Blade of Roses into the thick hide of the beholder. The heavily enchanted long sword cut deeply into the creature and the beholder whirled around to face the newly visible bard. As the creature turned Jeral stabbed out with the short sword in his left hand and drove it into the creature's large single eye. A pair of arrows and a sling bullet struck the beholder in it exposed back. Confused and angry it whirled back to face the original attackers in time to see Licaror and the Flail of Ages tear into it and deliver killing blows.

As the beholder crashed to the floor in a bloody mass of flesh and fluid Jeral stepped towards the pool of pulsating liquid in the center of the room. In the bottom of the shallow pool lay the other half of the rod. Jeral stared at the pool looking for possible threats or traps while Anomen tended to Keldorn.

"Viconia, Nalia, any ideas about this fluid? Is it safe?"

Nalia just shrugged her shoulders while Viconia put her sling away and smirked. "Jeral, nothing about this place is safe, why would this be any different? Regardless of the risk you know what you must do." Shaking his head and muttering to himself about the humor of drow Jeral took a deep breath and slowly dipped his arm into the pool. The liquid felt warm and very viscous, Jeral gasped in pain as the liquid started eating away at his flesh! The pool was filled with some strange fluid that was also a weak acid. Jeral watched in horror as his black leather glove started to dissolve. Gritting his teeth he forced his arm deeper into the pool and firmly grasped the other piece of the rod with rapidly blistering fingers. As he closed his hand around the enchanted device the entire room was bathed in a painfully bright light. It felt like a thousand suns were shining down into that very chamber. In an instant the light was gone and the room settled into near darkness, with Nalia's pair of light green mage lights the only source of light. As the group struggled to regain their vision and blink away the spots floating before their eyes they came to a terrible realization.

Jeral was gone!

 _Another cliffhanger ending! How exciting._

 _Not really, the chapter was getting way too long so I needed to cut it short. Stay tuned for the return of Jeral and the appearance of the unseeing eye._


	20. The Unseeing Eye

Chapter 20: The Unseeing Eye

Jeral blinked once and then again to clear the blinding sunlight from his eyes. Despite his best efforts the light did not dim but over time his eyes adjusted to the brightness. Jeral found himself standing on a white floor that stretched out as far as he could see in all directions. His companions were nowhere in sight. There were no walls or ceiling, when Jeral looked to the sides or to the sky all he could see was the blinding yellow light. Despite the change in his surroundings Jeral felt at ease, it was almost as if something comforting was helping keep him calm. Jeral looked down and noticed that his hand was fully healed, his glove was gone – burned away by the acid – as was part of his shirt sleeve but his hand was uninjured. Jeral was very pleased to see that the enchanted ring and his armor were impervious to the acid.

" _Do not worry Bhaal child,"_ a soft female voice spoke _, "your precious ring and armor are unharmed. Their enchantments protected them both from the acids surrounding the relic."_

Jeral looked around wildly looking for the source of the voice. Soft chuckling echoed around him.

" _Still confused? Think back Jeral, you have read about experiences such as this, remember your studies."_

Jeral closed his eyes and thought back to his studies in Candlekeep. Smiling he opened his eyes and looked around in wonder.

" _Very good Jeral, now you understand."_

"But…"

" _No need to speak child,"_ the voice intoned softly _, "I know what you will ask before you do, your mind holds no mysteries for me. This will go much smoother if you are silent."_

" _Do not pout Jeral. You should be honored to be in my presence. I am Amaunator, the Goddess of the Sun."_ The voice said proudly _, "or at least I am what little is left of her,"_ the voice said in a voice heavy with sadness.

"I remember….."

" _Yes, yes, yes,"_ the voice replied crossly _, "I am a Goddess from before the time of troubles, and my followers are gone and my powers are almost gone as well. But I have some faint remnants of my divinity still. Remnants I will share with you for you will do my bidding."_

Jeral remained silent and waited for the voice to continue.

" _As my powers started to wane others sought to kill my followers to weaken me further. My greatest remaining priests created a temple far underground; for no one would expect Amaunator to have a temple in a place so far from my beloved sun. Sadly it made no difference. While the temple remained hidden my powers faded, and as my powers faded so did the lives of my few remaining followers. If that were the end of it I would have let it pass. However this unseeing eye is a tremendously powerful and ancient beholder. It has come to this realm from the underdark and is attempting to corrupt my remaining essence to ascend to the pantheon of the Gods."_

"Ambitious little…."

 _"Silence!"_ roared Amaunator, and Jeral cringed as a flash of divine rage washed over him _._

" _I will not tolerate this abomination and its assault on my power. You shall be the instrument of my vengeance, you shall stop his ascension. I need you to destroy the unseeing eye. This will be my final miracle. A bit of my essence lives within the relic, there is power there. When you reassemble it, point it at the unseeing eye and I will do the rest. After that return it to my temple so my people can regain at least a bit it their lost faith. I need you to help them move on and join me in the Land of the Eternal Sun. I pray it will be enough. Now go with my blessing, Child of Bhaal."_

The light winked out and Jeral found himself back in the Pit of Souls with his arm elbow deep in the acidic liquid. He stood up and pulled the second half of the relic out of the pool. Jeral instantly knew deep in his soul how to assemble and wield the rod against the unseeing eye. Jeral quickly pulled out the other piece of the relic and held them close to one another. The two pieces leapt together on their own and assembled in a blinding flash of light. A wave of sunlight radiated out from the reassembled rod and bathed everyone in the chamber in a warm reassuring glow. Jeral moaned in ecstasy as pure energy coursed through his body, Jeral felt himself start to tremble from all of the power radiating through his being.

" _Jeral, beware for the unseeing eye approaches."_

"The creature approaches, make ready." Jeral stated. The others looked at him strangely but complied with his directions as they readied their weapons. A low moan echoed through the hive and it caused everyone's courage to waiver for a moment until the rod flashed again and bathed them once more in warm reassuring sunlight. The party members were not cowed as the unseeing eye floated into view. The creature was terrible to behold for it was a large, unnaturally bloated beholder. Larger than any other creature in the hive, it had a badly scarred body and was missing its central eye. Large purple veins crisscrossed the central eye scar and pulsed evily, a dozen eye stalks moved independently of one another, adding to the horrific impression of the creature.

Viconia stared at the beast in wonder, "Jeral, this is an elder orb. This beholder has lived longer than all of us combined and is incredibly powerful." For the first time since Jeral saved the drow from burning at the stake Viconia's voice held a hint of fear.

" _Prepare to meet thy doom foolish creatures for the rod is mine."_

The great beholder's voice appeared in the minds of all the companions and all felt a wave of despair rise as they sensed the certainty of their impending doom. A wave of darkness flowed out from the unseeing eye, and the light emanating from the rod flickered and faded out as the room descended into the shadow of twilight as a wave of despair washed over the group.

" _Foolish Bhall child, that twig from a long dead God is no threat to me."_

Brushing aside the despair and fear, Keldorn boldly stepped forward and advanced on the creature with his sword held at the ready.

"By Torm! Prepare to be sent back to the deepest levels of the underworld foul creature!"

The creature almost disdainfully twitched a single eye stalk and Keldorn crumpled to the floor writhing in pain.

The certainty that had filled Jeral departed as quickly as it had arrived. Jeral suddenly had no idea how to use the rod and he suspected that the unseeing eye was correct. The relic would not have enough power to overcome such a powerful being. Jeral kept turning the rod over in his hands looking for a command word or other trigger. Suddenly, he straightened up and advanced on the creature. Grasping the rod with both hands he pointed it at the unseeing eye. Not knowing the command phrase Jeral just willed it to work. His hands trembled as the rod shook violently from side to side and then suddenly activated. A burst of blindingly intense white light – pure sunlight - shot from the end of the rod and headed directly at the unseeing eye. It stuck the creature and the beholder howled in pain. The room was bathed in intense light for a second but then it started fade. The unseeing eye tensed as it fought against the beam and the veins all pulsed at once as the beam of light started to flicker and weaken.

 _It isn't working!_ Jeral thought, the creature is too strong.

Sensing that all was not going to plan Minsc and Anomen charged the beholder side by side. They too were swatted aside by the unseeing eye and lay on the ground unmoving next to the fallen paladin. Nalia bravely fired a pair of arrows at the creature but the arrows both turned in midflight and struck the young mage in the torso. Bleeding profusely she dropped to the floor and dragged herself across the floor to lay atop the fallen Helmite. Hefting her war hammer Viconia strode determinedly towards the creature. The unseeing eye paused for an instant as if surprised to see a drow so far from its underdark home. The creature recovered quickly and Viconia shuddered as the creature turned its power against her. Gritting her teeth she strode forward and continued to close with the creature despite the energies sent against her. She managed to close with the beast and struck out with her hammer. The hammer smacked wetly into the bloated creature's face and appeared to cause no damage. The creature focused all of its eye stalks on the drow and she was thrown bodily across the chamber to slam into the far wall. Viconia slammed into the fleshy wall and slid to the ground, her war hammer sliding out of her grasp as she lay there too stunned to move.

Jeral struggled to control the rod as the flickering beam of light continued to strike the unseeing eye.

" _There is not enough divinity within that rod to defeat me manling. I will drink in every last drop of power from that relic. Then I will drink in every drop of your power and ascend to the divinity. When you are drained I will destroy you and the others and add your bodies to my hive_."

The words echoed through Jeral's skull.

Power. It was all about power. The beast intended to drain him. Jeral realized in an instant that for better or worse the darkness living inside of him was not something he was willing to give away, and he was certainly not going to allow anyone to take it from him. The mere consideration made him angry, very angry. Jeral closed his eyes and focused himself. He could see the Sun God's power flowing out of the rod and realized that it was not enough. He needed more power, more divine essence to defeat the creature, else they were all doomed. Suddenly the way forward seemed clear.

Jeral's eyes snapped open and sneering he started to slowly walk towards the unseeing eye.

Jeral's face flushed as the anger built up within him. "You want divine power?" He snarled through bared teeth

"YOU WANT POWER?" he roared.

"TAKE IT! TAKE IT ALL!" Jeral focused all his hate and all his rage and willed his own tainted essence to flow through his hands and into the relic. The darkness from within him and the light from the relic combined together to make a swirling, twisting beam of light and dark power that slowly started to burn into the unseeing eye.

The creature started to shudder under the combined assault of divinity from sun and murder.

"You are nothing!" Jeral jeered as he stepped forward. "You dare to challenge me? I have the blood of a god in my veins you pathetic sack of gas?" Jeral taunted. Chest heaving, he roared in anger as he focused every last bit of hate and rage into the relic in his hands. The rod started to smoke as it struggled to direct the power flowing through it. The sunlight emanating from the rod suddenly flickered out and the room descended into darkness except for a glimmer of light from Nalia's weakly flickering mage lights. The beam turned black and a thick ray of ultimate darkness lanced out and burned a massive hole through the unseeing eye. The beholder dropped to the floor. Jeral continued to aim the beam at the creature at it struck the ground. The beam continued to eat away at the creature and the entire mass of flesh soon dissolved into ash, wholly consumed from the power arrayed against it. Chest heaving Jeral watched with satisfaction as the beast dissolved before his eyes. Power continued to pour out of the relic and started burning a hole through the floor of the cavern.

Trembling, sweating, drunk with power Jeral looked down disdainfully at his fallen companions. They were pathetic. He did not need any of them, all he needed was the relic he held in his trembling hands. That was all the power he needed. He would rescue Imoen and kill Irenicus, and anyone else who stood in his way. He would become powerful; he would find a kingdom to rule, for he deserved to rule. It was only natural.

The relic vibrated wildly in his hands and shot a narrow beam of sunlight directly into Jeral's eyes. Startled, Jeral dropped the rod and it fell to the fleshy moist floor. Once the relic left Jeral's hands the all consuming anger disappeared at if washed away like the tide. With that anger gone he just felt empty, empty and very, very tired.

Jeral looked down at his hands and was relieved to see that they were intact and that he could move them without too much difficulty. They were numb and smoking slightly but he hoped that the feeling would soon return. Jeral stood there catching his breath as he slowly took in everything that just happened.

After a few moments Viconia slowly pulled herself to her feet, her natural magical resistance having helped her weather the attacks from the unseeing eye better than the others. Once she had cleared her head she quickly took in the scene around her. Moving quickly she tore the arrows from Nalia's torso, eliciting a whimper of pain, and closed the girl's wounds. After a quick check to ensure all the men were alive she started kicking a boot through the ashes of the unseeing eye's corpse. With a quick exultation Viconia straightened up holding a necklace with a large green amulet. Smiling she tossed it in her pack for later identification. Groaning, Anomen, Minsc, and Keldorn all slowly regained their feet. All three moved gingerly as every muscle in their bodies ached but they were uninjured otherwise.

Jeral inhaled deeply and noticed that the air smelled cleaner somehow. He mentioned as much to Viconia. "With the unseeing eye dead the hive is dead as well. The flesh will rot and decay and soon these caverns will be natural stone once again. All trace of this creature will soon fade from view."

Keldorn and Anomen each dropped to a knee to whisper a quick pray or thanks to their respective deity. Slowly getting to his feet Squire Anomen walked over, and using his armor polishing rag, carefully picked up the now depleted rod and placed it in his pack.

"Shall we return the way we came?" Anomen inquired to the group.

Jeral nodded quickly. "No. We go that way; we must return the device to the temple before we do anything else." Jeral's arm pointed to a small fissure in the floor. As the flesh was burned away by the relic the opening in the floor was revealed. It looked like an ancient salt slide.

"Jeral, we do not know where that goes. We cannot risk it."

Jeral smiled warmly at Anomen as he strode over to the opening in the floor.

"Squire Anomen, you are both wise and brave. But I know this is our path, the owner of the relic told me. I will go first. If it is safe I will send up a mage light."

"And if it is not safe?"

"Well then do not follow."

Jeral slid into the tunnel and quickly slid downward out of sight. After a few moments his mage light reappeared and the others slid down the tunnel. They each rocked down the salt slide and found themselves back on the far side of the strange bridge and were very near the entrance to the underground cavern that housed the long neglected temple. Anomen attached his flail to his belt and pulled out the relic from his pack. Head held high he confidently led the way into the cavern flanked by Nalia and Keldorn. Minsc trailed slowly behind Nalia while Jeral and Viconia trailed then other four at a distance.

Viconia placed a restraining arm on Jeral and he stopped and turned to face the drow cleric.

"What happened back there?"

"What do you mean Viconia?"

"How did you kill that beholder?"

"I assembled the relic and it did the rest."

Viconia looked critically at Jeral for a long moment. "You do not believe that," she said carefully, "I know what I saw."

"What did you see?" Jeral asked cautiously.

"I saw you attempt to use the relic against the creature as instructed by the avatar from the temple. I also saw the rod failing, the power held within was insufficient to destroy such an ancient and powerful creature. Then the room fell into darkness."

Jeral shrugged his shoulders, "Well the unseeing eye is dead so I guess the relic had more power in it that you thought." Jeral turned to catch up to the others when Viconia reached out and roughly turned him around.

"Do not lie to me male," she snarled. "You may lie to the others but never to me." Continuing she poked a finger forcefully into the center of his chest. "The power of the relic was failing, somehow you managed to take the divinity within your and channel it. You turned the power in your blood into a weapon, and that is what destroyed the beholder."

Jeral looked around quickly to ensure the others were out of earshot. "I am not sure what happened, I just knew that if I failed we all would have died. Please do not mention it to the others."

"Why is that a concern?" Viconia asked. "All who travel with you know you are one of the children of Alaundo's prophecy."

"That may be true Viconia, but I do not want to make any more of it that I have to."

"Jeral, you are something more than mortal, embrace it. It almost makes you worthy of my company." Viconia licked her lips and tilted her head to the side in a way that Jeral found incredibly alluring.

"We can talk about all this later Viconia, but I think you will end up disappointed."

"You presume too much male. Although if I do allow you into my bed I am sure it will be disappointing," she chuckled.

Jeral shook his head grimly. "No you do not understand Viconia, I think there is no longer any taint in my blood. I think that I expelled it from my body when I killed the beholder. My head is quiet for once and my body feels almost empty. I think I may be free of Bhaal's taint."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, how very disappointing. Let us rejoin the others." The pair quickly trotted forward and caught up to the group just as they entered the large cavern that housed the long neglected temple. Anomen led the way and he strode into the underground cavern and a large crowd soon formed around him. They nervously eyed the ancient relic in his hands and started quietly muttering to one another. Anomen raised the relic high over his head and rays of light radiated out of the rod, bathing the cavern in daylight.

The gaunt man once again spoke as he stared wonderingly at the relic. "You have returned the great relic to us as it was foretold so many centuries ago."

"It has been used to defeat a great evil and now returns to the temple as foretold by your God," Anomen boomed in a deep commanding voice. Mutters echoed through the crowd as people looked to one another for direction.

"Bah! Our God is dead!" The gaunt man screamed. "Gone, he no longer hears our cries! We are lost, we are forgotten."

"When is the last time you called his name?" Anomen asked gently.

"It has been decades, perhaps longer. Most here have even forgotten the name."

"I have given the sign, use it as you wish." With that Anomen and the others entered the temple closely followed by the growing crowd. The temple was exactly as it was before, empty and long unused, the torches on the walls flickering softly and bathing the chamber in a dim light.

"You see, nothing is here, there is no God in this temple!" The gaunt man raged piteously, "We have been forsaken."

"What have you done to deserve your God? What have any of you done?" Jeral asked quietly. "I am no paladin. I am no priest, but from what I have learned one has to show faith in their God to have any hope. I can tell you with certainty that you are not forgotten or forsaken. Your God is here and waiting for you but the next step must come from you."

The crowd milled around and shifted their feet from side to side. Finally one woman stepped forward, dropped to her knees, and raised her hands pleadingly to the sky.

"Amaunator, bringer of the light I beseech thee! Hear my voice. Hear the voice of your disciple calling to you. Amaunator!" One by one the others joined in and dropped to their knees and let their voices sing out in a long overdue outpouring of pain and anguish.

"Amaunator, bringer of the light, we humbly bessech thee! Hear our desperate cries!"

Jeral and the others stepped back as the voices got louder and louder, as the worshippers continued their chant with ever growing devotion and fervor as they swayed rhythmically from side to side. After a few moments a blinding white light appeared in the middle of the temple, bathing the entire building in daylight. The worshippers immediately prostrated themselves on the floor muttering words of thanks and devotion as the avatar again stepped out from the light.

"Jeral of Candlekeep, Squire Anomen, you and your companions have done a wonderful thing. Thank you for assembling the rod, defeating the usurper and giving faith to the faithless." Turning the avatar faced the crowd of worshippers and rose in the air. "To you, my people," he boomed, "your time here is done after so many centuries. Sleep in peace and join me in the land of everlasting sunlight."

With a single wave of the avatar's hand the worshippers and the relic faded from view and hundreds of individual beams of light shot straight upwards to disappear in the ceiling of the temple. Smiling kindly the avatar floated back to the ground. Suddenly a round shield appeared in his hands. The shield was made of an unknown silvery metal and covered with ancient runes and engravings. Small sunbursts were etched into a ring around the outside of the shield. Smiling he handed the shield to Anomen who took it with unsteady hands.

"Squire Anomen," the avatar began, "this shield is not of your family but it will aid you in your quest, and it is more in tune with you than the one you currently carry. Use it with honor do not worry for I am sure that Helm will approve. Know that when times are darkest this shield shall aid you and light the way." Anomen beamed with pride at the avatar's words as he gratefully accepted the shield. He strapped his old shield to his pack and slid the new one onto his left forearm. Winking, the avatar added one last comment before he vanished. "And good luck with the wedding you two." With a smile the avatar of Amaunator disappeared and the room darkened to the glow cast by the quartet of mage lights, as the magically enchanted torches along the walls of the temple were extinguished for the last time.

A reverent silence fell over the group.

"Wedding?" Jeral asked incredulously after a few moments.

Nalia and Anomen exchanged glances and then Nalia turned to address the group. "Squire Anomen and I are getting married!" she gushed gleefully. Minsc and Jeral both heartily congratulated the couple while Viconia nodded her approval to Anomen. After a moment Keldorn walked over to stand before Anomen and Jeral. "Jeral, Squire Anomen, we have all done a wonderful thing this day. There is indeed much to celebrate, however we need to capture or kill Gaal to truly bring this evil to an end."

Jeral looked around and the smile quickly left his face. "Keldorn is right; we can congratulate the happy couple back at the Coronet."

The group headed back to the upper level of the dungeon to locate Gaal. On the way they passed through the crypt where Sasser lived. The blind priest was dancing a jig in the dark as they entered.

"You did it! By Helm you did it!" he cried. "The unseeing eye is no more." Sasser raced over and clasped Jeral in a hug. Jeral was surprised at the strength of the frail man's grasp. Jeral gently pried the man's arms off and stepped back.

"You are correct Sasser. The unseeing eye is no more. We are on our way to confront Gaal, but he should not be too much of a challenge."

Sasser shook his head vigorously. "Have a care, Gaal is now even more dangerous that before."

"How can that be?" Keldorn asked, "With his false god gone Gaal has lost his patron and his powers. He should be helpless."

"The unseeing eye was powerful, so powerful that some portion of the creature's essence was passed to Gaal at some point to aid him in building up the cult. His power remains, and his rage is beyond belief. I can sense his anger from here."

"How is Yoshimo?" Anomen asked, looking to change the subject.

"He is fine, he is sleeping peacefully." The party looked over and noticed that Sasser had laid Yoshimo out on top of the coffin in the center of the crypt.

Tiredly Jeral drew his blades and looked at the others, "Let's get this over with."

As the party headed into the cult complex they were passed by a series of blind cultists sobbing and begging various surface gods for forgiveness as they staggered their way towards the surface by feeling their way along the walls.

"What is that colorful surfacer expression Jeral? The one about rodents leaving a sinking ship?"

"Something like that Viconia," Jeral added. The group reached the entrance to the complex and stopped mid stride at the sight before them.

Gaal stood at the main entrance to the cult complex with four elite guard members. Somehow the five of them retained their ability to see as Gaal worked to keep the cultists from leaving. The cultists were not listening to anything Gaal said as they kept streaming past him heading towards the surface.

Gaal looked somehow larger than he had before. Clad in a suit of ornate full plate mail and a long flowing scarlet cloak he was an impressive sight. Armed with a small shield and mace he looked ready for combat. The open faced helm on his head was shaped to look like the unseeing eye and twelve metal eye stalks adorned the top of the helm. The suit shimmered in the torch light as he pleaded with the cult members to remain and not lose faith.

The four guards flanking him were similarly attired. Each wore a suit of full plate mail, a long scarlet cloak, and a closed face helm forged to look like a lesser beholder. One of the guardsmen carried a heavy crossbow, one carried a wicked looking battle axe, and the other two were equipped with medium shields and long swords.

"Well well. Look who is here." Jeral quipped. "Sorry about killing your false god there Gaal." Gaal whirled around and his disfigured, eyeless face seemed to stare right through each of them.

"You…..You…. you…. blasphemers! You have ruined everything and defied the one true god" Spittle flew from his frothing mouth as he commanded his soldiers to attack. Three of the four plate clad elite guardsmen charged while Gaal prepared to cast a spell.

Keldorn, Anomen, Minsc and Jeral were soon locked in close combat with the trio of guardsmen. The men all were unnaturally strong and fast and they proved themselves formidable opponents. While the men were locked in close combat Nalia and Viconia started to cast spells against Gaal. A crossbow bolt from the fourth guardsmen tore into Nalia's leg and disrupted her spell. Before Viconia could complete her casting Gaal completed his spell and a massive tower of flame appeared from the ceiling and engulfed Jeral. The plate clad fighters all paused and stepped away as the intense flame continued to roar down from the ceiling and engulf Jeral. Intense searing pain seared through Jeral's body as he struggled to remain on his feet and chocked back a scream. After long moments the spell winked out and Jeral collapsed to the floor in a smoking heap.

"Do you see?" Gaal bellowed, "The Unseeing Eye will have his vengeance on the one who struck him down!"

Gaal raised his mace high and charged through the melee to attack Jeral. Jeral was struggling to regain his feet as every part of his body cried out in pain. His clothes and hair had burned away leaving nothing but his enchanted chain mail and pair of enchanted ring. His skin was badly burned and he could barely see through his burned and blistered eyes. Gaal smiled grimly as he stepped in and attacked with his mace. Jeral desperately raised his long sword to parry the strike. The blade parried the strike but the impact from the blow radiated pain through his body and jarred the sword out of Jeral's arm. Gaal stepped back and prepared to deliver the killing blow. Before Gaal could strike again Viconia slammed her war hammer down into the center of Gaal's back. The force of the blow staggered the cleric. Giving him no time to recover Viconia slammed her hammer down again in the same spot on his back. Gaal cried out in pain and fell to his knees; his mace skittered away from his badly shaking hands.

Gaal whirled around and held his hands up imploringly in front of his face as he rose up on his knees. Clasping his hands together in the center of his chest he began to weep piteously.

"Mercy! I beg of you mercy. I am a simple holy man. I now see the error of my ways and shall devote my life to atoning for my sins. Mercy please!"

Viconia dropped down into a crouch and carefully laid her war hammer down on the ground. She gently, tenderly, removed Gaal's helmet and tossed it aside. She ran a gloved hard through his sweaty hair while humming a gentle tune and then ran her hand over his armored shoulder and neck. Gently she pulled back the armor around his next with her left hand while muttering soothingly to the injured man. Gaal's breathing slowed and the look of terror started to leave his face.

"Thank you my child, thank y…..urk."

Before Gall could finish his words of gratitude Viconia grabbed her hammer in her right hand and hammered the end of the weapon into his now unprotected throat. His windpipe shattered and he fell back onto the ground. His body spasmed in agony as he fought for air through his now closed throat. His well manicured nails bloodily tore at his throat and neck as his body writhed from side to side as it struggled for air. After a few moments he stopped struggling and lay still.

Viconia slowly rose to her feet and looked disgustedly and the corpse that lay before her. "Mercy is not the drow way fool," she whispered as she spit on the corpse.

During his duel with one of the elite guardsmen Keldorn had managed to keep an eye on Viconia and Gall so he witnessed the entire exchange. After watching Viconia kill a man who had surrendered he realized it was time for him to act. He neatly sidestepped his opponents strike and brought his blade slicing down in a massive overhand strike. His blade collapsed the man's armor and tore deeply into his shoulder. With his left arm nearly severed the guardsmen managed only a feeble backswing before Keldorn drove him to the ground and finished him off by forcing his blade into a lightly armored joint of his armor. Minsc lay on the ground in a bloody head with a number of crossbow bolts sticking out of his armor having accepted the wounds as he closed with and killed the crossbow armed guardsman. Anomen had already defeated his opponent by caving in his skull with the Flail of Ages and then quickly moved to tended to Nalia's wound.

Striding forward Keldorn leveled his blade at Viconia. "Foul creature." He roared in his most commanding tone, "The time of your judgment is now at hand. Killing an unarmed man is the final indignity. Make ready."

The paladin pivoted into an attacking stance, raised his weapon to the high guard position, and advanced on the drow.

Smiling Viconia slowly twirled her war hammer around and gently tapped it against her small shield as she assumed a ready defensive crouch. Licking her lips sensuously she leered at the aged paladin.

"That man was no innocent, as you well know follower of Torm," she sneered. "I have no quarrel with you old man. But I also have no problem with killing you. I suggest you choose wisely, for you would not be the first of your kind that has crossed my path and come off much the worse for the experience. I was killing men like you when your father was still soling himself in his crib."

Transfixed Jeral watched as the two circled one another. The contrasts between the pair as they circled were tremendous. Keldorn was a large man clad from head to toe in ornate golden full plate mail and an open faced help. He wielded a massive two handed sword and moved with the confidence of an experienced warrior, his face a mask of grim determination. Viconia was more than a head shorter and was half his size. Clad in a set of chain main she twirled her war hammer expectantly and occasionally tapped it against her small shield. She moved from side to side as is she was gliding, every move smooth and graceful. Her dark skinned face was smirking, her violet eyes alive with joy, as she regarded her opponent with open disdain.

Jeral could only watch helplessly, his body still was overwhelmed by pain, badly burned, and he was completely immobile. Through burnt and blistered lips he managed to speak. "Anomen, stop this. Please."

Anomen shook his head as he struggled to close the wound in Nalia's leg. "The bolt pierced her badly," he cried, his voice cracking. "She will die from this leg bleed if I do not close it quickly. I cannot let her die."

Jeral was terrified that Viconia might be hurt. But his greater fear was that if she killed the paladin then they would be hunted by the Order. He realized that Viconia was likely more than a match for Keldorn so she was in little real danger. Jeral placed his hand on his thigh and called upon the healing gifts within him. After a few long moments Jeral gave up, nothing happened. Jeral did not have time to dwell on it as his eyes were drawn back to the paladin.

Keldorn shifted his weight and attacked with his massive war blade in a diagonal horizontal strike. Smiling, Viconia dove under the strike and quickly rolled to her feet on Keldorn's right side. Keldorn hastily pivoted to face her and backpedaled to keep her from getting inside of his guard. Viconia did not press her advantage and blew a kiss at the aged paladin. "Tired already old one?"

Gritting his teeth Keldorn advanced again and swung out with a massive overhand blow. Viconia nimbly sidestepped to her right and the blade slammed into the ground. She scornfully bashed her shield against the flat of the blade and then slid to her right again. Keldorn backpedaled again as he raised his blade and held it out protectively in front of him. His face was bright read from exertion and rage as he steadied his blade and regained his balance.

"Do you need a rest old man?" Viconia mocked. "You did not think this through. You were already winded from you fight with the guard, at your age you lack the stamina from your youth. You should have waited until you were better rested to face me."

"Silence foul creature!" Keldorn roared in anger as he advanced to attack once more. He raised his blade high over his head as he readied another massive swing. Viconia darted forward and punched her hammer out into the center of Keldorn's chest. Her strike did no damage but forced the paladin to stagger back and regain his balance. Breathing heavily he eyed the drow opposing him through narrowed eyes.

Smiling she twirled her hammer in anticipation. "Ahhhhhhh the dilemma you face male. Locked in a fight you cannot win, whatever shall you do?"

Chest heaving Keldorn adjusted the grip on his sword and held it in a close guard. Gritting his teeth he growled, "I shall serve Torm and willingly give my life in His service."

"Very well old one, let us continue."

Keldorn steadily advanced, holding his blade in close to his chest. He did not strike but just closed with Viconia. The drow, awaiting a swing of the blade was momentarily caught by surprise as the paladin closed with her. Instead of a sword strike Keldorn punched out with the pommel of the blade. Caught by surprise, the blow struck Viconia full in the face, shattering her nose. Viconia staggered backwards as she fought to clear her vision. She raised her right hand to her face and pulled it away. Her glove was covered in blood, her blood. Snarling she spit a mouthful of blood on the ground and stared at Keldorn. The aged paladin raised an eyebrow and the faintest smirk crossed his lips as he locked eyes with her.

"That was unexpected," she noted grudgingly, "now you die." She leapt forward and rained blow after blow on the paladin. She struck his left shoulder with her hammer. As he turned to counter she dropped down in a crouch and lashed her hammer into his armored left knee. The knee buckled slightly as the paladin grunted in pain. He quickly kicked out with his injured knee and caught her in the chest as she was rising up. The force of his blow threw her backwards and she slid across the floor on her backside. She quickly leapt to her feet and advanced on the paladin, her face a mask of determination.

Keldorn held his sword out defensively as he slowly limped backwards.

Anomen slid in-between the pair and shouted, "Stop this madness now!" Viconia brought her hammer down on Anomen's shield in frustration but she stopped her advance.

"Squire Anomen!" Keldorn raged, "You dare take the side of this foul creature? Stand aside."

Anomen turned to face Keldorn and resolutely locked eyes with the paladin. "Sir Keldorn, I say this with all due respect to your position within the Order and as a servant of Torm. You are not in the right on this day." Keldorn looked stunned at hearing Anomen's words.

Determinedly, Anomen pressed on. "Viconia is a loyal companion of ours and has done nothing evil in the time I have known her. She just aided in completing a quest in service of the Temple of Helm. You will not be fighting her today Sir Keldorn, for if you continue you will have to fight me first."

"And me as well." Grim faced Nalia walked over to stand next to Anomen. Her mage robes were badly torn and blood stained yet she held her staff firmly as she raised her head to look at the paladin. Nobility and determination were written all over her face as she eyed the paladin.

"No need to protect me you two, I am sure I can take care of this old man. Although he shows more potential than I expected," Viconia chuckled as she wiped blood from her face.

Minsc staggered over to stand next to Anomen, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. His face looked pale from the loss of blood even though the ranger was smiling. "Boo says Viconia should be quiet. There will be no more fighting between you two."

Jeral weakly staggered over and leaned heavily on Minsc.

"Keldorn, the cult has been destroyed, and we thank you for your companionship and assistance. However we must part ways. Viconia is one of us and you two clearly cannot get along."

Keldorn took a deep breath slowly let it out. Nodding slowly he sheathed his sword, "Very well. I thank you for destroying the cult. I will report the success to the Order. Anomen, I suggest you choose your companions more carefully for this reflects poorly on you judgement and suitability for service in the Order." He raised gauntleted hand to point at Viconia, "As for you dark one, pray to your heathen Gods that we do not meet again."

Viconia only blew a kiss as Keldorn stalked off down the tunnel.

The party milled around in an awkward silence as the paladin stormed off into the darkness. The silence was broken by the bounty hunter. He was leaning on Sasser and smiling broadly.

"Yoshimo is pleased to see that all of you have survived. Although I see that without me it was far more difficult than it should be."

Yoshimo quickly moved amongst the corpses and then clapped his hands happily. "Gaal carried a very heavy purse so this is a profitable endeavor after all. He also carries an enchanted belt of some sort."

"There is also an enchanted heavy crossbow there," Jeral added.

"Too bad the paladin could not stay; we could have allowed him to keep the crossbow. No matter, more to sell."

Anomen spent a few moments carefully healing Viconia's face. Once it was healed to her satisfaction he moved off to care for Minsc while she moved to stand next to Jeral. Looking him up and down she shook her head sadly.

"You look terrible Jeral. Nothing but a mass of scars and blisters."

Shaking his head Jeral chuckled, "Thanks Viconia, if it makes a difference it hurts even more than you can imagine."

"Let me see what I can do Jeral, stand still."

Viconia lowered her head and started muttering to Shar. After a few long moments warmth flowed out of her hands and radiated through Jeral's body. Stepping back tiredly she looked at the results of her work.

"Well my powers are lessened somewhat here but you look far better than you did." Jeral looked at his hands and saw that the blisters were gone as were most of the scars. The pain was largely gone although the pale pink skin itched terrible.

"Well said Yoshimo. Anomen, can you lead the way back to the Temple of Helm? I am still pretty weak."

"Very well Jeral. Sasser, will you accompany me to the Temple of Helm?"

After a long moment Sasser nodded and laid a withered hand on Anomen's arm.

"I will lad; I think it is time for me to face my God."

Anomen nodded and started to lead the way out of the crypt.

Nalia coughed softly and everyone turned to look at her. "Um, Jeral, I think you need to cover yourself before we return to the surface."

Jeral turned to face Nalia and then heard Viconia laughing behind him. Suddenly he felt a gloved hand caressing his backside. Standing on her toes Viconia whispered in his ear. "The ties on your armor burned away. Your backside is free for all to see." She gave it one last squeeze and walked over to pick through the red cloaks on the floor. Gaal's was the least blood stained so she helped Jeral put it on. Barefoot he carefully picked his way after the others as Anomen led them to the surface without incident.


	21. Nalia taken

_Had some unexpected free time to finish this chapter so I figured I would post if before the long weekend. I hope everyone has an excellent Memorial Day weekend. And a big thank you to our veterans for their service. Semper Fi!_

Chapter 21: Nalia Taken!

Jeral woke slowly, as his body fought to stay asleep for a moment longer. He was not surprised that he was tired; fighting an ancient beholder, communing with the remnants of a God from long ago, surviving a flame strike attack, all those things tended to take a lot out of a man. As he slowly rose to a sitting position he squinted from the glare of a full late morning sun shining brilliantly into the room. Once his eyes adjusted he looked down and was pleased to see that his legs looked completely recovered from the horrific burns he received from the cult leader's spell. Shockingly, he noticed that the hair on his legs was already far longer than he would have expected after only one night. He slowly stood up and gingerly made his way over to the wash basin. His mouth was dry and his tongue felt like sandpaper. Swishing water around in his mouth he splashed some on his face and then ran some water through his hair.

His hair! He looked in the badly scarred mirror affixed to the wall and was stunned to see that his hair was already growing back in. His eyebrows and eyelashes were already almost fully grown out. Instead of looking like a burn victim who was seconds from death Jeral looked almost like his old self; just his old self with a short hair cut in the fashion favored by the Baldur's Gate garrison. Shaking his head in wonder Jeral quickly dressed, selecting a long sleeve grey shirt and a pair of black breeches made of a soft wool. As Jeral slid on his socks and boots he realized that he would need to pay a return visit to Master Salumon and order some additional clothes. Jeral looked around but could not find his armor anywhere. Hoping that someone had taken it for repair Jeral then looked for his blades. Jeral's sword belt was ruined and looked as it if would disintegrate if he touched it. Sighing slightly Jeral tucked his enchanted dagger into his boot and slid a pair of throwing knives into pockets sewn into the legs of his pants. Jeral added his wand of lightening into another custom made pocket, picked up his coin purse and headed downstairs to the common room, feeling slightly defenseless without his chainmail and his swords.

As he entered the common room he was surprised to find it nearly deserted. On most days there were a few lingering about awaiting the start of the mid day meal. Other than a few serving girls straightening up tables the common room was deserted. Realizing he was incredibly thirsty Jeral strode over to the bar and settled onto a stool in the center of the bar. After a few short moments Bernard exited the kitchen and stopped in mid stride as he noticed Jeral sitting alone at the bar.

"Well, well, well, look who finally got out of bed. So nice you could grace us with your presence milord." Chuckling Bernard strode up to the bar and poured Jeral a tankard of ale. Sliding the mug across the bar Bernard leered at Jeral, "So did you finally bed Viconia?" Jeral coughed into his mug as he started at Bernard with a bemused look on his face. "What are you talking about Bernard? I was tired from my injuries and slept in. What is so unusual about that?"

Bernard stared at Jeral for long moments, "You don't know? Course you don't know. If you just woke up who was there to tell you?" Bernard finished muttering to himself and poured himself a mug of ale before addressing Jeral directly. "Lad you slept the day away yesterday, then all last night, then most of the day today, for it is almost time for the evening meal. I just figured it had to be the drow that tired you out so. Figured nothing else could do that to a man." He leaned forward to wink knowingly at Jeral, "Read me a book about the drow and their skill in the bedroom I did. Well," he paused to sip his beer and look embarrassed, "I looked at the pictures in the book really, don't know my letters all that well."

Smiling Jeral toasted Bernard' health and drained his mug. "Well my good man, I was just tired, apparently extremely tired. No more to the story than that; very sorry to disappoint you."

Bernard took a healthy swig of ale and then reached to refill Jeral's mug. "Not disappointed at all, I will not let the truth interfere with my imagination." He winked and headed back into the kitchen to check on the cooks, "I expect your friends will be back soon, they never miss dinner if they can help it."

Jeral sat in silence as he slowly drank his ale and waited for his companions to return. As Jeral sat he watched as the common room started to slowly fill with patrons and serving staff. Hendak had even added a small stage in the corner of the common room for entertainment. The serving girls were excitedly chatting about the touring minstrel who was supposed to perform in the Coronet that very evening. Before Jeral could hear any more gossip a meaty hand slapped his back enthusiastically, causing Jeral to spit ale all over the bar.

"Minsc and Boo are happy to see sleepy Jeral out of bed," the large ranger boomed excitedly as heavily planted himself on the stool next to Jeral. Viconia quietly slid onto the stool on the other side of Jeral. Unbidden, Bernard quickly poured a glass of dark red wine into a crystal goblet and formally presented it to Viconia. She took a small sip, paused, and then nodded slightly to Bernard. Beaming like a proud parent he quickly poured a large mug of dark ale for Minsc and then disappeared into the kitchen. When he returned he slid a large cutting board full of sausages, cheeses and bread fresh from the over in front of them. "This should tide you lot over til dinner," he said before disappearing into the kitchen once more.

Jeral did not realize how hungry he was until he saw the food in front of him. Mouth watering he cut off a chunk of a dark yellow cheese and placed it on a heel of the thick black bread. Jeral savored every bite and within moments he had finished his first helping and was reaching for a second.

"I see that you woke with an appetite Jeral." Viconia noted dryly. Jeral only nodded as he reached for a second serving of bread and cheese. "What did I miss?" He asked quickly before stuffing food into his face again.

"Quite a bit, it was a very productive couple of days. The night we departed the sewers Anomen visited the Temple of Helm to make his report while the rest of us head back here. The Helmites were delighted by our service and very generous. The rewarded us with 7,000 gold and an enchanted mace. The following day we visited restocked supplies and identified the few items we recovered. We sold the lovely heavy crossbow, a pair of lightly enchanted protective bracers and the mace from the Helmite Temple. Nalia kept the necklace, for it offers limited protection from magic. I kept the girdle that Gaal was wearing. It adds to ones survivability in battle so I was the obvious choice to wear it since I am drow and therefore the most valuable." She looked at Jeral coolly, almost daring him to disagree. Smiling slightly Jeral merely nodded and shoved another piece of cheese in his mouth.

Viconia delicately picked up a small piece of cheese off the cutting board and popped it into her mouth. "That is quite good. The food here has improved greatly of late."

Jeral nodded in agreement as he sliced off a piece of sausage. "Apparently a couple of the freed slaves from the planar prison stayed to work here. They were cooks of some renown for some royal household across the sea. But enough of that, what else has everyone been up to?"

Viconia took her time before replying. She slowly chewed and swallowed another bit of cheese and then washed it down with a sip of wine. "While at Ribald's Nalia purchased a new mage robe and we bought an impressive stock of healing potions. I also picked up some more of those lovely exploding potions, that gnome really does excellent work. Yoshimo said he had to check in with the guild so we have not seen him very much. Hendak took the liberty of sending your armor off to get the ties replaced. As you know the armor was undamaged but the ties were destroyed. He believes they can be replaced with fireproof ones to better keep your armor functional in the future. It should be back in a day or so. Hendak was also working to replace your scabbards and sword belt, they should be ready by now. "

"That was very kind of him."

"He owes you his life; it is the very least he can do for you." Viconia shook her head, "Although he did mention that he expects to duel with you again before too long."

"Persistent fellow isn't he?" Jeral chuckled into his ale. Jeral noticed a familiar face in the mirror behind the bar. Turning around he started to smile as Yoshimo strode into the tavern. The smile quickly died on his face for Yoshimo's face was creased with worry. Minsc and Viconia also turned to watch as the bounty hunter approached. His normal easy going manner was gone and Yoshimo's hand fidgeted on the pommel of his katana as he closed with the group.

"Jeral, I bear ill tidings. Squire Anomen is in chains and the Lady Nalia is taken."

Viconia jumped off her bar stool and placed herself directly in front of Yoshimo. "Speak plainly Yoshimo. What happened to Nalia? Who took her?"

Yoshimo nervously looked from one to another. "I can only tell you what I was told. I was at the guild shopping for items of use when word reached me, well word reached Soreal and I managed to overhear. Nalia and Anomen were on their way to visit Nalia's aunt and tell her of their intent to wed. At some point they were waylaid by Isaea Roenall and his household guardsmen. He took Nalia into protective custody at his estate and his men dragged Anomen to the city prison. The moment I heard that I raced her with all speed."

Red-faced Jeral fought to keep calm, but despite his best efforts anger crept into his voice, "How can he do that to a member of the nobility and a Squire of the Order?"

Yoshimo shrugged his shoulders helplessly, "This is the city of coin Jeral. Nalia is a woman without male family members. She is publically betrothed to Isaea so he can do what he wishes with her. She is virtually his property to do so as he wishes. As for Anomen, Isaea is an officer in the city garrison so he does have the authority to arrest anyone he desires. I am sure he made up a charge and the men would follow his order."

Viconia snarled and slammed a fist on the bar, "This will not stand, no male shall touch Nalia."

Minsc stood up and slammed his fist down on the bar, knocking over their tankards and Viconia's wine glass. "Viconia is right; we will crash down the door of the Roenall estate and free little Nalia."

A voice from behind Yoshimo spoke quietly but firmly, "You lay one hand on Isaea or his family estate and you will be hunted down like dogs before the sun goes down." The quartet turned to face the new arrival. Kretor stood facing the quartet looking grim. He was dressed in his dark brown studded leather armor and had a short sword strapped to his left leg. A trio of throwing knives hung from the right side of his armor. His mangled right hand was covered by a black leather glove and a small shield was strapped to his right forearm.

"What do you know of this Kretor?" Jeral inquired brusquely.

"As you know the guild has ears everywhere. So when a Squire from the Order is dragged into the prison beaten and bloody people notice. Those people talk to other people who talk to my mother, who sent me here. I know a bit more than Yoshimo does."

"Yes, yes, we are all impressed. Out with it please."

"Isaea and a dozen of his personal guards waylaid the couple in the street. The Roenall Estate has a couple score guardsmen; Isaea has his own dozen who report only to him. They easily disarmed the pair since neither was expecting trouble; Anomen was not even wearing armor or carrying any weapons. The guards beat Anomen with clubs until he was a bloody heap on the street. I think Isaea only spared his life to avoid any complications from the Helmites or the Order. After they finished beating on him Isaea had him dragged off to jail and handed over to the jailers."

"On what charge?" Jeral asked angrily.

"Squire Anomen is accused of kidnapping the Lady Nalia and holding her against her will."

"That is a lie!" Minsc roared. Kretor backpedaled quickly and placed a hand on the pommel of his sword as he eyed the enraged man warily. Viconia placed a hand on the large ranger's back and patted gently. Minsc sat down heavily and cracked his knuckles loudly as he struggled to control his temper.

Quietly Jeral looked from Yoshimo to Kretor, who slowly walked back to stand next to Jeral. "I am a stranger to this city and its ways. While I will obey the law where I can this will not stand. I am getting Anomen out of prison today and will then get Nalia away from the Roenall estate as quickly as possible. This will not stand."

"Getting Nalia out will be difficult, if not impossible Jeral," Kretor added thoughtfully.

Jeral slid his hand down to rest on the pommel of his long sword, with a start he realized it was not there as he left it up in his room. Shaking his head angrily Jeral eyed the shorter man. "Let us do this one step at a time shall we. What do we need to do to get Anomen out of prison Kretor? I would prefer to do it legally but I am not opposed to other options for he gets out today."

Kretor smiled and took a seat at the bar next to Viconia. He removed the shield from his arm and set it on the bar. Snapping his fingers he asked Bernard for a tankard of the house golden ale. He took a deep drink of the offered ale, belched happily and then turned to look at the others.

"I suspected you would want to get Anomen out of prison. Someone with influence is meeting with the magistrate on our behalf right now. They will come here as soon as they can."

"So what would you have us do Kretor?" Jeral asked impatiently.

"I think we should get a table and have dinner. I hear the food here is excellent of late." Seeing the frustration on Jeral's face Kretor hastily added, "You have to trust me my friend; the wheels are already in motion."

Reluctantly the five moved to a table in the far corner of the common room and ordered dinner. Within minutes the table was crowded with platters of food and the group ate in contemplative silence. They all drank sparingly, preferring chilled goats milk to stronger spirits, for they wanted their heads clear for whatever the evening held in store for them.

Suddenly, a hush fell over the common room and after a few long moments the silence was broken by a drunken wolf whistle. Jeral turned his head and watched as a strikingly attractive silver haired woman confidently strode into the bar. She was wearing an incredibly revealing outfit, the kind of outfit that would make a streetwalker blush. A number of purple scarves encircled her torso, leaving her midriff bare. Many of the scarves were translucent, only a few strategically places scarves were opaque so little was left to the imagination. Long dark purple gloves reached to her upper arm and her legs were clad in a pair of thigh high black leather boots with an extremely high heel. Her hair was stacked high atop her head and held in place by a half dozen jeweled knitting needles. Her face was exquisitely made up, with ruby red lips and black shade applied to make her eyes appear even larger than they were. The woman was a vision.

The woman strode directly over to the table and seated herself in the empty chair next to Kretor. Smoothing the silks over her crossed legs, she regally snapped her fingers and ordered a glass of ice wine from the passing serving girl. As she waited for her drink to arrive she allowed her gaze to drift over the others at the table. Finally her eyes settled on Kretor and she raised an eyebrow at him as she smiled. Shaking his head and blushing uncontrollably Kretor could only mutter, "Good evening mother."

"Soreal?" Jeral sputtered out a mouthful of goat's milk as he eyed the woman before him. "You look… different."

"Different?" She replied evenly, "Is that really the best you can do? I thought your kind were smooth talkers."

Smiling Jeral lowered his head in a mock bow, "My apologies Lady Soreal. What I meant to say was that you are ever a vision of loveliness and my head spins with lust in your presence."

Smiling broadly she clapped happily, "Much better Jeral, well done," she said delightedly. The serving girl arrived and presented Soreal with her glass of ice wine. She drained the glass in one gulp. "I will need another," she commanded, "and I will also require a room for the evening. Please get me a key immediately."

"I am afraid we have no rooms available this evening my lady," the serving girl stammered. Soreal turned and eyed the young girl coolly before breaking into a broad smile. "Tell Bernard that the 'shopkeeper' is here and requires use of the red room for the evening." Looking confused the girl headed off through the crowd to find Bernard. "And don't forget my ice wine dearie," Soreal shouted after her.

"Mother, what are you doing here? And why are you dressed like that." Soreal turned to Kretor and patted his face lovingly. "I am repaying a debt and securing Anomen's release." Despite their best efforts she said no more. The serving girl returned shortly with an entire bottle of ice wine and 2 crystal goblets on a small tray. Additionally there was a large key with a scarlet tassel tied to the end of it on the tray. "Well done lass, please have Bernard hold onto this for me." Soreal handed her a small pack, tossed her a gold piece, and poured herself a second glass of ice wine.

"Good evening Soreal, you look lovely." The group looked up to see an older man standing at the side of the table. He was clad in the dark grey robes with scarlet stripes that signified service in the magistrate's office. The man was short and a bit plump and it was hard to tell where his chin ended and his neck began. His thin black hair was parted in the middle and wetly combed to the sides. He eyed the group nervously but made no move to introduce himself.

Soreal gulped down her glass of wine and plastered a huge smile on her face as she rose to her feet. Turning around she hugged her visitor warmly and gushed, "What a surprise Ewenn. What brings the Magistrate's senior secretary to the Coronet this evening?" His face paled and he looked absolutely lost as he looked around the tavern wildly. Patting his arm reassuringly Soreal continued in a breathy voice, "Relax dearie. No one knows you are here. No one cares. Do you have something for me?"

Nodding mutely Ewenn reached into the sleeve of his robe and pulled out a parchment sealed with the wax seal of the magistrate. Soreal leaned in and gently whispered in his ear. Ewenn nodded again and handed the parchment to Jeral with a trembling hand. "Tell him," she whispered as she nibbled on his ear. In a strained voice Ewenn croaked, "This document drops all charges against Squire Anomen and orders his immediate release; on the personal authority of the magistrate."

Soreal took Ewenn by the hand and led him towards the back of the Coronet. He quickly picked up the tray and room key in his free hand as he passed by the table. The group watched in stunned silence as they pair disappeared from view. Looking decidedly uncomfortable Kretor looked at Jeral pleadingly, "Can we get out of here and get Anomen please?"

"Before we do I suggest everyone put on their armor and equipment." Yoshimo offered, "the city is dangerous at night." Everyone but Kretor rose from the table and headed to their respective room to equipment themselves. In short order the quartet returned to the table. Minsc was clad in his set of full plate, his hand axes were strapped to his legs while Licaror was swung over his back. Viconia was outfitted in her mail of the dead and her small shield was firmly affixed to her forearm. She held her war hammer at the ready as she pulled on a traveling cloak overtop her armor and open faced helm. Yoshimo stood ready, his enchanted studded leather armor hastily repaired once again, the thick black stitching visible as it stretched across the torso up to the shoulder of the leather garment. There was not time to get out the blood stains so the upper torso of the armor was stained a rusty crimson from his injuries under the city.

"That armor has seen better days Yoshimo," Kretor remarked gravely. Smiling broadly Yoshimo spun around and bowed deeply. "Fortunately for all, I place a higher value on the function of my equipment over the appearance. Besides," he said smirking at Kretor, "when one is as darkly handsome as I am they can make anything look good. I can dance on the head of a pin you know."

"Not a terribly useful skill that," Jeral remarked as he strode up to the table, tails of his black jacket trailing behind him. He was adjusting his blades in the new sword belt and scabbard that Hendak has just provided him. Everything fit properly but the leather was stiff and not yet broken in. "Missing something Jeral?" Viconia inquired sweetly. Shaking his head Jeral eyed the drow and shrugged his shoulders, "My armor is getting repaired. I am sure I can manage without it." "I doubt it Jeral," Viconia smirked, "but you will do what you will do. Remember that without Nalia we lack a magic license so use spells sparingly if at all." Jeral had not realized that any use of his limited spell inventory could draw the ire of the Cowled Wizards Putting on a brave face he smiled a confident smile at the drow, "I am sure it will be fine Viconia."

"If everyone is ready to go," Kretor said quickly, "please follow me to the prison." Kretor and the group quickly departed the inn and headed through the streets for the Government District. In the deepening twilight the group watched as people raced home, desperate to be safe indoors before nightfall. The guild war continued and more and more innocents were caught up in the nighttime battles. Looking to learn more about the nighttime dangers Jeral inquired of Kretor as they walked, "What is the latest on the guild war?" Kretor looked around nervously before he replied, "Very few know the truth but things are not going well for us. We are not sure who we are facing, but they are weakening us night after night. Thieves go missing, houses under our protection are attacked; I fear what will come if we do not put a stop to the attacks. But enough of the guild problems, the prison is near, let us go and get your Squire Anomen."

The prison was a dark ominous looking structure on the other side of the great courtyard from the Council of Six headquarters. Three large posts stood evenly spaced in front of the prison. Viconia involuntarily shuddered and cursed her own weakness as she remembered her own time spent tied to one of those very stakes. Were it not for Jeral's timely intervention those accursed Bereshebians would have burned her alive. Viconia did not fear death, but she could not imagine dying at the hands of lesser creatures. If she had to die she wanted to die a death worthy of a female of her kind. A single lantern hung off the front of the building and illuminated the large pair of iron bound oaken doors that served as the entrance to the prison.

Kretor walked up to the door and looked for a pull rope or bell. Finding none he knocked on the heavy door once and then again. The party waited in nervous silence for a few moments. Nothing stirred within the prison; the building looked dark and lifeless. Jeral paced impatiently for a few moments before he rounded on Kretor, "Shouldn't someone be posted out front?"

"Normally a pair of guards stand post out front all night Jeral," Kretor replied. "But these are not normal times. Even armed men are at risk from this rival guild so I suspect they have pulled their guards inside for their own safety." "Right," Jeral said, "well we will just have to announce our presence with a bit more enthusiasm. Minsc, will you let them know we are here?" Smiling Minsc strode up to the door and looked it over once. He then squared his body and punched the middle of the doors as hard as he could." His mailed fist loudly struck the seam between the two doors and the doors groaned from the impact. "Once more please," Jeral asked quietly. Minsc slammed his fist into the door again and suddenly light was visible under the door. Minsc quickly stepped back to stand behind the others and Kretor placed himself in front of the group.

The right hand door was flung open by a harried looking guard who stepped outside holding a drawn short sword. "Visiting hours are long past," he snarled. "Bugger off until tomorrow." Kretor stepped forward, held out the parchment, and politely addressed the irate guard. "Good evening my good man, we have a writ from the magistrate ordering the immediate release of a prisoner under your charge." The guard ignored the document in Kretor's hand and shook his head doggedly, "All releases must be approved by an officer and they all left before dark. You will just have to wait until tomorrow." A look of certainty crossed over his face, "Yup, tomorrow is when you have to come back. Besides, got no one here tonight who even knows their letters. That document could be a fake."

Exasperated Jeral stepped around the guard and entered the prison. He was quickly followed by Viconia, Yoshimo and Minsc. The guard whirled around and then looked back at Kretor, "They cannae enter the prison without my permission. Those are the rules." Kretor patted the guard on the shoulder reassuringly, "My good man, following rules is not their strong suit." Kretor guided the guard inside and closed the door. Looking to regain some control the guard stiffly walked over to the far wall and sat down behind a battered wooden desk. Sitting on the center of the desk was an equally battered large green leather bound ledger next to a quill and an ink pot. Viconia strolled over to the desk and regally perched herself of the edge of the desk. Daring the guard to challenge her she slid the book next to her and flipped it open. Quickly flipping to the most recent page she ran a finger down the lined entries.

"They only had one person enter the prison today. It says the man in a kidnapper and was brought in needing medical attention."

"Ahhh," the guard's eyes widened, "you lot must be looking for the lad in cell 17. He is in pretty bad shape, Roenall's men did quite the number on him. We wanted to call for a healer but the lieutenant said no. I think he has it out for the lad." Viconia hopped off the desk and pulled a large ring of keys off the wall. "Hey you cannae touch those keys!" The guard rose from his chair and moved to face Viconia. She threw her hood back and removed her helmet. The guard paused mid stride and sucked in a breath through clenched teeth. "You. They were going to burn you."

"That is right male," Viconia spat. "Your kind were ready to kill me for no good reason."

"You are a drow, that is reason enough." Snarling Viconia drew a small knife from her belt and sprang forward. She held the point of the knife to the guard's throat and brought her face in close to the terrified guard's face. "Where is cell 17? You will tell me immediately or you will die male."

"Through the doors there," he croaked, "then down the hall to the seventh cell on the right." Viconia released her grip and the guard collapsed to the floor in a trembling heap. "Minsc, Yoshimo, with me." Viconia sorted through the keys until she found the correct one and opened the door to the cells. Once open she stormed off down the hall with the other two in tow.

Jeral leaned down and helped the startled guard to his feet. "Sorry for the trouble but our friend is badly injured and she is an excellent healer."

"That one, that drow, is a healer?" The guard asked incredulously. "Indeed she is," Jeral replied. After a few moments Viconia reentered the room with a scowl across her face. Minsc carried a bloody and battered Anomen cradled in his arms. "Clear that desk," she barked as she strode over to the desk. Kretor and Jeral quickly cleared the desk and Viconia ordered Minsc to lay the Helmite on the desk. Anomen was barely recognizable, his handsome face was terribly swollen and was a deep purple. It looked like his left eye socket was shattered and his jaw was sticking out at an unnatural angle. Blood frothed from his lips as his chest slowly rose and fell. Anomen's breath came in shallow wheezing gasps as his body struggled to breathe. Jeral looked down at Anomen's hands and saw that his right hand was terribly mangled and that every finger was broken. "Someone took the time to break those bones," Jeral muttered.

"It is good we arrived when we did for he would have not survived until morning." Viconia placed her hands on Anomen's chest and muttered a few minor incantations. Anomen's breathing sounded stronger and the terrible wheezing disappeared. "He is out of danger," Viconia stated as she stood up and wiped her bloody hands on her pants, "I need to straighten his jaw and fingers before I heal them or he will be crippled. I also need to check his ribs to ensure they are intact. There is much to do before I can fully heal him. We need to take him to the Coronet right now." She nodded her head and Minsc gently picked up Anomen in his arms.

"Now wait a minute," the guard exclaimed as he rose to his feet. "I am glad this boy is not going to die, I am, but I cannot let him leave. We note every discharge in the book here and only an officer can make the entry."

Viconia scowled at the jailer and hefted her war hammer. "How many guards man the prison this evening? I will kill every last one of them if I have to." The guard realized that the half score guards on duty overnight were no match for the people standing in front of him. Desperate he tried a new approach. "Look, if you take him without permission I will lose my job, I may even end up in jail myself." Smiling Jeral picked up a quill off the floor and then picked up the ledger.

He found the ink pot and dipped the quill in it. He then placed the book on the desk and quickly wrote in, _Squire Anomen released to Jeral of Candlekeep after dark by order of the magistrate. All charges dropped._ Jeral blew on the ink to help it dry and then he smiled at the guard. "There you go; an entry is in the ledger so it is nice and official." Jeral slowly counted out 50 gold pieces and stacked them on the desk. "For any inconvenience." The guard's eyes widened as he started at the equivalent of almost a year's salary. "No trouble at all I suppose," he stammered as he scooped up the coins, "have a nice evening."

With Viconia leading the way the group hurried back to the Copper Coronet while Kretor departed for the guild. They wended their way through darkened and deserted streets and managed to get back to the Coronet without issue. Once back at the Coronet Viconia had Minsc carry Anomen up to her room and lay him on the bed. "Get me Hendak and then leave us be. He has experience with injuries such as these." Viconia commanded. Before Jeral left the room he removed the ring from his right hand and placed it on Anomen's left ring finger. Viconia looked questioningly at Jeral but he shook his head, "Trust me, it will help." She nodded once and returned her attention to Anomen's injuries.

Jeral headed downstairs and headed for the bar to get a drink. Before he got there he noticed that Minsc, Kretor and Yoshimo had settled in at a table in the corner. As Jeral turned to head for their table he noticed that Soreal was sitting with them. She looked nothing like she had earlier in the evening. Her scandalous attire was gone and she was back in her grey leathers. Her throwing knives were tucked into bandoliers on each thigh and her short stiletto blade hung from her scarlet sword belt. Her hair was damp and tied up in a severe bun on the top of her head. A large mug of coffee sat in front of her.

"How is your friend?" She asked without looking up. "He will live," Jeral said, "but it was a very near thing, for he would not have survived the night without aid. You saved his life."

"Well I would hate to think I did all of that for nothing. I am glad it made a difference, she quipped. "We are in your debt," Jeral stated quietly.

Soreal took a swig of her coffee and nodded, "Before you thank me, and you should thank me, know that while this was my plan it had the approval of the guild master. He does view you and your friends as allies in this guild war and he wants you to reunite with your sister. By the way, where is my son?"

"After he helped us free Anomen he headed back to the guild." Shaking her head Soreal exhaled slowly, "He knows better than going out alone after dark. That boy lacks common sense at times." The group sat silently for a long moment before Jeral spoke up again.

"Exactly how did you manage to get that document for us tonight?" Jeral asked politely. Soreal turned her head and looked at him unbelievingly, "Are you really that dense? I did what you think I did. The magistrate's clerk has always been sweet on me so I traded an evening of my company for Anomen's release papers." Chuckling to herself she continued, "Although it was more like mere moments than a whole evening. Poor fellow was very excited and in a minute it was over. Poor fool felt guilty and raced home to his wife. Believe me when I say that I have done a lot worse for a lot less, this was nothing."

"Well you do have my thanks Mistress Soreal." Jeral raised his coffee and toasted hers in a salute.

"So when do we get to rescue little Nalia?" Minsc asked. Jeral rubbed his hand through the short hair on his scalp as he formulated a reply.

"That I do not know Minsc. Isaea is the authority in the city; I fear that we will make ourselves outlaws if we challenge him directly." Turning to look at Soreal Jeral continued, "Any chance you can get a second letter from your friend?"

"No chance Jeral," Soreal said with some sadness in her voice. "Ultimately the law was on our side in freeing Anomen. The law is not on our side when it comes to Nalia."

"We are heroes for goodness, we must free Nalia," Minsc said as his hand banged on the table.

"We will find a way Minsc, do not worry."

"To free Nalia you must discredit Isaea. That is the key," Soreal said.

"That makes sense," Jeral said, "but how do we do that?"

Smiling Soreal took a final drink of coffee and rose to her feet. "I am not sure how, but I know where we should start." The other three stood and looked at her expectantly. Pointing at Minsc she frowned slightly, "Jeral he needs to stay here. Where we are going he will attract too much attention."

Jeral looked at Soreal questioningly, "Where are we going Soreal?"

"The Sea's Bounty," Soreal replied, "it is a tavern in the Docks District and it is a favorite hangout of the Roenall guards. I thought you might like to pay them a visit. I have it on good authority that they were well paid for their attack on Anomen so they are celebrating tonight."

"Well in that case Minsc is absolutely coming with us."

"Jeral he cannot," Soreal snapped. "We need to move carefully. We need to drink with these men and see what we can learn."

"The lady has a point," Yoshimo chimed in. "The Sea's Bounty is a dangerous place and is frequented by smugglers, slavers, pirates, all sorts of unsavory people. The minute we enter that place with Minsc they will know we do not belong there. And people who do not belong there find themselves dead very quickly."

"Sounds perfect. Do not despair Minsc. You are coming with us."

Smiling from ear to ear Minsc leapt to his feet and clapped Jeral on the back excitedly. The blow doubled Jeral over and he stood up slowly as the pain radiated through his body.

Soreal placed her hands on her hips are glared angrily at Jeral, "We need to move carefully, quietly. With a light step and a deft touch we may find someone willing to provide us information. We cannot afford to start a fight with an entire bar of degenerates."

"With respect Soreal, that is where you are wrong," Jeral smiled as he spoke. "We are going to go into that bar like we own the place and we are going to openly question the Roenall family guards."

"They are loyal to their employer, they will not tell you anything, particularly if you ask so openly," Soreal said as she stomped a foot in frustration.

"I hope they do not tell us anything Soreal."

"If you do not want them to tell us anything than why are we doing this?"

Smiling grimly Jeral looked from Minsc to Yoshimo and then back to Soreal, "We are doing this for revenge. Those men nearly killed Anomen, so I aim to make them pay for that."

"Minsc is ready to make them pay," he boomed.

"Soreal, I know you do not agree with this approach, and if you wish we will escort you back to the guild or to your home before we go," Jeral said quietly. "But if you go with us know that I intend to pick a fight."

Soreal dropped her head to the floor for a long moment and then blew out a deep breath. Smiling she raised her head and locked eyes with Jeral. She rolled her neck from side to side and then loudly cracked her knuckles. "I think it is a terrible plan but I am with you." She turned and quickly strode to the door while calling back over her shoulder, "Follow me boys. Hopefully we will live to enjoy breakfast."

 _Next chapter is pretty much just a bar brawl so stay tuned_


	22. Road House

Chapter 22: Road House

Soreal moved swiftly through the streets. Jeral watched in amazement as she managed to move almost silently. Yoshimo glided along a few steps behind her, his feet seeming to glide across the uneven cobblestones. Jeral was painfully aware of the jangling of his sword belt as he tailed the two light footed thieves. However the steady metallic clank from Minsc reassured Jeral that he was still able to move more quietly than most. The quartet managed to navigate the deserted streets without attracting any undue attention. The Sea's Bounty looked very different at night. The ground level was made of stone and mortar while the upper level was think timbers joined tightly together. The entire building looked more gatehouse than tavern. The windows were all shuttered on both levels of the tavern and very little light escaped around the edges. A low murmur reached their ears from inside the tavern.

"Quieter than I expected," Jeral muttered. Suddenly, the front door of the tavern opened and a wave of light and a roar from the crowd inside assaulted their senses. A massive half-ogre stood in the door and tossed a man out into the street. The man slammed face first into the pavement and did not move. Drunk or dead, the man lay in a slowly expanding pool of blood in the middle of the street.

"I stand corrected," Jeral said as he looked over at Soreal. She raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow in response and smiled her best 'I told you so' smile at Jeral.

"The Sea's Bounty is warded to prevent most sound from escaping into the night. By keeping the noise down they manage to avoid the attention of the garrison. That leaves the owner free to run his business as he wishes. It is also warded to contain magic within its walls, so your spells should not attract the attention of the Cowled Wizards. Not sure how accurate that bit of information is though so I would use them sparingly."

"Who is the bouncer?" Jeral asked as he eyed the building appraisingly. Soreal shook her head, "First of all he is not a bouncer. He is the cooler, the cooler is in charge of the bouncers, and he is Aragog. He is a former gladiator who the owner purchased from Lehtinan and put to work protecting his tavern. He is extremely dangerous and fanatically loyal. He is aided by six gnolls who serve as the bouncers. They are also former gladiators and are extremely dangerous. They do not hesitate to maim or kill an individual for the slightest offense."

Minsc growled like an animal, and his rumbling chest sounded like thunder before a storm. Minsc slowly drew Licaror and looked at the blade gleaming in the moonlight, "Minsc hates gnolls, they kidnapped Dynaheir and planned to eat her." Smiling the big man looked at Jeral with a look that was more thoughtful that one usually associated with the ranger, "If it comes to violence, well when it comes to violence, the gnolls are mine."

"Soreal, this does not make any sense. We have eaten in this tavern before. We had lunch there after we encountered Mae'Var in his guild. It seemed like a respectable enough place."

"It is Jeral, it is completely respectable…..during the day. After dark they open up the basement and it is a known meeting spot for the most disreputable types in the city. The guild prohibits us from working in there at night for it is too dangerous. On an average night a handful of people die and their bodies are rarely found."

"Knowing Jeral as I do I suspect this will be far from an average night for those in the tavern my good Soreal." Yoshimo shook his head grimly as he gripped the pommel of his katana for reassurance.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Yoshimo." Turning to Soreal he continued, "So who owns this place?"

"I have no idea," she said shrugging her shoulders, "over the winter the prior owner sold the tavern in a hurry. It was odd though, for he was found dead a few days after the sale. Someone had broken into his estate and killed him and his entire family. The house was heavily guarded and warded but the killers slipped in and out undetected."

"Do you think the new owner killed the previous one?" Jeral asked.

Soreal shuddered and rubbed her arms against an unseen chill, "I do not have any idea. I do not believe in coincidences but I have not heard so much as a whisper about the owner. No one in the guild has laid eyes on him."

Something about the whole tavern felt wrong but Jeral pushed past the doubt and adjusted his sword belt to sit more comfortably.

Jeral walked over and whispered to Minsc. The big man nodded and rummaged through his belt pouch, he pulled out a small vial, unstoppered it and swallowed the contents in a single gulp.

"Enough talk, let us go get a drink." Soreal stepped in front of Jeral and placed a hand on his chest. "Hold on Jeral, what are you planning to do?"

"We are going to walk in the door. I am going to have the bartender point out the Roenall guardsmen and I am going to let them know what I think of them almost beating Anomen to death." Anger flashed in Jeral's eyes as he glared down at the woman standing in his way. Unimpressed Soreal tilted her head to the side, "And how does this help us free Nalia?" Suddenly Jeral deflated, "It may not help us free Nalia, I know that. However that is a worry for tomorrow, tonight is about revenge." Jeral slipped past Soreal and boldly marched up to the door of the tavern.

He reached the large door and stopped dead in his tracks. The door was made of highly polished oaken planks and was held together with thick iron bands. A small metal plate was affixed to the center of the door at chest height and a black iron pull ring was on the left edge of the door. Jeral grasped the door pull and started to pull. The door did not so much as budge, it was clearly locked or barred from the inside. Jeral placed a foot on the doorframe for support and pulled with all his might, once again the door did not so much as budge.

"Have you considered knocking?" Soreal asked innocently.

Gritting his teeth to bite back a sharp retort Jeral looked at Minsc questioningly, "Think you can open this door for me?" Minsc strode up to the door and leaned his two handed sword against the side of the building. He then squared up to the door and placed both of his gauntleted hands on the pull ring. Leaning back he pulled with all his might. Grunting from the exertion Minsc continued to tug at the door. The door shook slightly and the iron pull ring bent slightly but the door remained closed.

"Out of the way Minsc."

Scowling, Jeral strode away from the door a dozen paces and then turned around to face the door. Drawing his wand Jeral aimed it at the door and uttered the command word under his breath. A bolt of lightning leapt from the end of the wand and raced to the door, the bolt struck the center of the door, sending fragments of metal and wood flying in all directions as the door blew apart. The bolt rebounded off the door and headed back at Jeral, forcing him to dive to the ground to avoid being struck by his own spell. The lightning bolt passed harmlessly over his head and continued out over the water until it was lost from sight.

Bright torchlight streamed out from the interior of the tavern, bathing the quartet in light almost as bright as the mid day sun. The tavern quickly fell quiet except for the sounds of heavy metal shod footsteps. Jeral quickly got to his feet and dusted himself off as he heard his companions stirring uneasily bedside him. The light was momentarily blocked out as a massive figure stooped to step out the door. Aragog. The half-ogre dwarfed Minsc and was clad in a black suit of custom made splint mail with black steel boots and gauntlets. A thick band of black steel circled his head like a crown and a massive blade hung in a scabbard on his belt. Jeral involuntarily took a step back at the sight of the fearsome creature. The creature lumbered forward and stopped a dozen paces away from Jeral.

Before Jeral could react additional heavy footsteps echoed from within the tavern. A half dozen gnolls strode out into the night and wordlessly moved into position on each side of the half ogre. The gnolls looked almost small next to the massive Aragog, but each one was still taller than Minsc and almost as broad. Each of the gnolls wore a long leather tunic with metal plates sewn into it for added protection. Each gnoll wore a smaller black metal headband and wielded a single headed battle axe with a spike in place of the second axe head. Each of the gnolls looked far more capable than the gnolls Jeral had faced in the past.

"Pretty impressive security for a tavern," Jeral muttered under his breath. Jeral looked to his left and saw that Soreal and Yoshimo both stood stock still, their hands a hairs breath from their blades. Minsc stood staring and the gnolls and shaking with rage, his face getting redder and redder as the seconds past. One of the gnolls tilted his head to the side and inhaled deeply. Growing slightly he spoke to Aragog in badly mangled common, "I smell fear on the young one master." The half-ogre grinned, his upper lip pulling back to expose the fangs in his lower jaw line. Nodding slightly at the gnoll Aragog replied in a deep rumble, "Then you may kill the boy and feast on his flesh." The gnoll nodded quickly and took a half step forward before a pair of throwing daggers embedded themselves in his eyes. With a single whimper the gnoll collapsed to the ground. Jeral turned to look at Soreal, the shadow thief was in the same position as before. The only indication of anything different was that two throwing daggers were no longer in the custom pockets sewn into her pants.

The remaining five gnolls looked first to one another and then to Aragog for direction. Snarling the half-ogre slowly drew a dark blade from his scabbard. The blade was the side of a bastard sword but the blade curved back and forth like a snake, making it a very unusual and dangerous weapon. "Kill the others," Aragog commanded, "the boy is mine." Sneering and drooling the half-ogre lumbered towards Jeral.

Everything seemed to happen at once, roaring a battle cry Minsc drew Licaror and charged for the three gnolls to Aragog's left. Soreal dropped to a knee and hurled a pair of throwing knives; out of the corner of his eye Jeral watched the knives catch a charging gnoll in the shoulder and throat. Whimpering piteously the gnoll dropped to the ground and started writing in pain. Yoshimo drew his katana and strode forward to meet the remaining gnoll on Aragog's right.

Jeral's focus was brought back to the threat to his immediate front as he barely managed to draw his blades in time to parry the first strike, his crossed blades just intercepting Aragog's overhand strike. The force of the blow drove Jeral to a knee as he struggled to retain a grip on his weapons. Jeral felt the half-ogre's weight shift forward and he dove to the side, just avoiding a massive knee as is pistoned upwards. Jeral's shoulder hit the filthy cobblestones as he tucked forward and rolled, quickly hopping back to his feet, just in time to parry another strike from the massive half-ogre. Jeral backed away slowly as he sized up his opponent. Aragog was stronger, armored, likely more experienced, and moved incredibly quickly for a creature of his size.

Jeral risked a glance at his companions; they were all faring far better than he was. Soreal stood sideways with her short rapier held in her left hand and watched as she drove it through he stomach of one of the gnolls. Jeral recognized the Numedian fighting style although she knew some moves he had not seen previously documented in his readings. She danced away from the wounded gnoll and then slithered back in to deliver another grievous stab wound. The gnoll started to stagger as the blood gushed from the pair of wounds. Jeral watched as it dropped to a knee and Soreal finished it off with a blade through the muzzle. Yoshimo stood over another downed beast, his katana held as the ready as he looked for other threats. Minsc was standing over a pair of gnoll corpses and both he and his sword howled in delight. Other than a small wound on his shoulder Minsc appeared uninjured.

Jeral rolled away from another overhand slash, the bastard sword sparking off the cobblestones. Rising again to his feet Jeral move in to attack. Aragog swung out with a massive horizontal slash of his blade. Jeral parried the strike slightly with the Blade of Roses. Stepping inside Aragog's guard Jeral stabbed out with his enchanted short sword and was rewarded with a gush of blood as he buried the blade to the hilt in the half-ogre's side. Aragog roared in pain and anger as he threw his right elbow backwards. The unexpected maneuver caught Jeral in the chest, cracked a handful of ribs, and left him staggering back struggling for breath.

As Jeral gasped for air, Minsc stepped forward and swung Licaror at Aragog. The half-ogre raised his blade to parry the strike and grunted as he struggled against the force of the blow. Jeral watched as Minsc struck again and again at the burly cooler, no attempt at precision, Minsc was counting on his magically giant enhanced strength to carry the day. Soreal grabbed Jeral buy the arm and shouted, "We must get inside or those Roenall guardsmen will flee."

"What about that one?" Jeral shouted back. Just as the words left his lips Minsc drove his blade into the armored shoulder of the half-ogre and staggered the creature.

"Your big friend will be fine, we have to move." With an iron grip on Jeral's forearm she pulled him towards the tavern. Jeral stopped resisting and raced towards the tavern. Before he followed Soreal into the darkened tavern he called back to Yoshimo, "Help Minsc and then catch up with us!"

Soreal raced into the tavern and threw herself to the floor at the sound of crossbows firing. With her right hand she threw a small vial at the ceiling. The vial shattered on the ceiling and a half dozen purple mage lights appeared. Four raced to illuminate each corner of the room while the other two remained at the ceiling in the center of the room. A quick glance around the room showed about three dozen armed men. The Roenall guards were clustered in a group in a far corner while a dozen armed men who looked like pirates were on the opposite wall. A half dozen crossbow men stood behind the bar frantically reloading while another half dozen armed men stood at the base of the stairs.

Jeral entered the room in time to watch Soreal leap over the bar and land amongst the crossbow men. In close quarters her short rapier was deadly as it pistoned in and out of each crossbow man as she rapidly worked her way down the bar. By the time she reached the end of the bar her grey leathers were covered in blood and the crossbowmen all lay dead at her feet. She sprinted to the middle of the room and stood beside Jeral as he took in the scene around him.

Taking charge Soreal pointed her blade at the Roenall guardsmen and called out, "We are just here for them, the rest of you may leave unharmed." A handful of confident laughs – and a few nervous ones – greeted her command.

"What business do you have with us?" one of the guardsmen asked nervously. Jeral looked at the man scowled, "Your master attacked one of my companions earlier today and kidnapped the other."

A second Roenall guard stepped forward, "We did no such thing. We merely set things right. The Lady Nalia is declared to be his wife."

"And beating Squire Anomen almost to death, was that setting things right as well?" Jeral roared.

"Nah," the guard chuckled, "that was just fun. That pompus git thought he could stand against us with no weapon and no armor."

Jeral pointed his blades menacingly at the Roenall guardsmen, "we are going to avenge Anomen, rescue Nalia and kill Isaea."

Suddenly laughter erupted from everyone in the tavern. Jeral and Soreal whirled around nervously as they eyed the men all around them.

One man stepped forward as the laughter died down. "You have to be the greatest fools in Athkatla. This place belongs to Isaea. We all work for him."

Jeral examined the speaker with a critical eye. He wore faded navy breeches tucked into salt stained leather boots. His muscular upper torso was covered with tattoos and he wore a black vest with ivory buttons. He had long greasy hair that hung down almost to his waist. He held a cutlass in his right hand and a dirk in his left.

"And why would a pirate work for scum like Isaea?" Jeral challenged.

The man tossed back his head and laughed, "You really have no idea about him do you?" He took a step forward and then slowly turned in a full circle holding his hands outstretched. "Everyone you see here in this tavern is loyal to Isaea. We all work for him, and make a pretty penny doing it."

Looking to keep the man talking Jeral looked as doubtful as he could before he mockingly replied, "I fail to see how an officer in the city watch and the eldest son of a noble house could have anything to do with the likes of you. Your words are so much wind."

The long hair pirate's face reddened at Jeral's words. "You dare call Barg a liar?" he screamed pointing his cutlass at Jeral.

"Of course I call you a liar for everyone knows the word of a pirate is less than worthless."

Enraged, Barg slammed his cutlass down on the table and reached inside his vest. He quickly held out a small green ledger in front of his body. "Call me a liar boy? See this ledger? It documents every transaction I have made with Isaea. He trades in slaves, black lotus, stolen items, anything where he can make coin. He even stole this tavern from its owner so he could have a safe place to meet with us."

Smiling Jeral glanced quickly over at Soreal, as she stood guarding his back. She stood in a defensive crouch with her rapier held low, poised and ready to strike. "Well thank you for the information Barg. Since you have been so helpful we will kill you last."

Jeral's mocking comment caused Barg to chuckle as he drained a tankard of ale and reclaimed his cutlass. "You are a big talker boy, but the way I see it you and your lady friend are facing pretty long odds; looks to be about 30 against two. Gotta admit those are odds I quite like."

"Actually it is thirty against four my good man," Yoshimo quipped as he sauntered into the bar followed by a limping Minsc. The bounty hunter strode up to stand next to Jeral and slowly wiped the blood off his katana with a rag as he cheerfully eyed the pirates. Breathing heavily Minsc strode over to stand next to Soreal and rested Licaror on his armored shoulder.

Barg licked his lips nervously as he eyed the newcomers. "I still like the odds," he said, although Jeral could hear the first hints of doubt behind all of the man's bravado.

Jeral muttered a few words under his breath and mirror images of his materialized. Crossing his swords in a salute he charged the pirates. "For Anomen!" he cried as he closed with the first pirate. Jeral easily parried his sloppy attack and thrust his short sword through the man's chest. As he pulled his blade out the pirate dropped lifeless to the floor as Jeral moved onto his next target. The second pirate attacked with a spiked mace but struck one of Jeral's duplicates. As the image winked out of existence the man paused, as if shocked by what happened. Jeral took advantage of the man's lack of concentration, the Blade of Roses lashed out and the pirate's head fell to the floor. Jeral waded deeper into the mass of pirates as he pursued the retreating Barg. Trusting in his mirror images for protection Jeral lashed out left and right and more pirates fell to his blades.

Jeral's last mirror image disappeared and he dove under the table to avoid the strike from a scimitar wielding pirate. He rolled out on the other side and ran his short sword through the back of a heavy set bearded pirate. As the man slid off his blade he twisted to the side and watched as the scimitar missed his head by inches and slashed into the fat man's skull. The heavy blade wetly crashed into the skull in an explosion of blood and bone. As the man struggled to pull his scimitar free Jeral stabbed the Blade of Roses through his neck and watched as he dropped his scimitar and placed both hands over the wound in a desperate attempt to staunch the bleeding.

Seeing the other pirates cut down, Barg bolted around the other side of the table and sprinted for the door. Jeral turned to follow and was forced to step back and thrust his blades up in a desperate attempt to parry an attack. A mountain of a pirate stood in front of Jeral wielding a massive was hammer. The man was almost as large as Minsc and grinned, showing a mouthful of broken teeth, as he advanced on Jeral. The pirate swung out with his hammer and Jeral sidestepped the attack as the hammer struck the floor, sending up a shower of splinters as it cracked the thick floor boards. Jeral stabbed out and landed a few insignificant blows before the man swung out his war hammer again. Jeral rolled under the man's sweeping strike and came up inside his guard. Dropping the war hammer the man grabbed Jeral in a bear hug and lifted him off the floor.

Surprised by the unconventional move Jeral was lifted bodily off his feet. He pulled back his right arm in an effort to make room for a sword strike, when suddenly the pirate started to squeeze. The man pulled Jeral in tight against his chest and Jeral found his mouth full of an unpleasant mass of chest hair and filth. Jeral weakly swung his blades against the man but could not manage to generate any real strength since his arms were held in tight against his body. Grunting with exertion and pirate leaned back and squeezed harder. Jeral's body spasmed in pain and his swords dropped to the floor. He felt his damaged ribs start to bend and then break. First one, then a second and then a third; Jeral knew he would soon pass out from the pain. Jeral forced his head back and started to mutter the words to a spell as his fingers started casting.

The pirate, sensing something was amiss, adjusted his grip and then squeezed with a renewed vigor. Jeral cried out in pain and the spell died on his lips. Jeral stared at the man's face as the pain continued to intensify. He could not believe that he allowed himself to get bested by an unwashed slob of a pirate. He stared at the face and suddenly a wave of hot blood poured all over his face as the man released his grip. Gasping for air Jeral dropped to the floor and desperately wiped his face on the sleeve of his jacket. Once his vision started to clear he scrambled to pick up his swords and rose unsteadily to his feet.

He saw the massive pirate on his knees with Soreal's rapier sticking out of his right eye socket. Soreal planted a boot on his back and kicked out, Jeral watched transfixed as the now lifeless body slowly toppled forward and smacked into the floor.

Jeral nodded his thanks to Soreal, who nodded grimly in response. "Where is Barg?" Jeral cried as he looked quickly towards the door.

"He is not going anywhere," Yoshimo answered brightly. Barg lay on the floor in a pool of blood and intestines and was struggling to put his organs back inside his stomach as the life flowed out of him. "Fear not, I did not let him bleed on this ledger."

Yoshimo tossed the book to Jeral who caught it against his chest and then secured it in an inside pocket of his jacket. Jeral quickly rummaged through his belt pouch until he found a healing potion. Gulping it down Jeral the pain in his ribs decrease and he could breath easily again. Minsc had dropped his sword and held a Roenall guardsman in each armored fist as he alternated slamming the two of them against the far wall. Their heads slammed time and time again into the unfinished stone and Jeral watched as their faces became waxy and emotionless as the life left their bodies. Satisfied that they were dead Minsc dropped the bodies to the floor and reclaimed his sword. Smiling he nodded at Jeral, "We have punished those who almost killed good Anomen, this is a good night's work." Minsc then disappeared into the kitchen and quickly returned, reporting that the cooks had all fled into the night. Jeral handed Minsc a healing potion and the large man quickly drank it down.

A silence fell over the room as the men all caught their breath and looked around warily. Soreal seemed completely unaffected by the massive brawl. Her hair was still held tightly in place and she did not look the least out of breath. Despite the blood covering most of her armor she calmly

moved around the room looking carefully at the floor.

"What are you looking for," Jeral asked.

"This tavern has a basement, and according to what I have learned, that is where the true dark business goes on. I am looking for the entrance."

"What could be worse than slavery" Jeral asked.

"I suspect we shall find out," Soreal noted wryly.

The sound of furniture dragging across the floor, followed by a woman's scream carried through the ceiling. "What is upstairs Soreal?"

Not taking her eyes off the floor Soreal waved a hand towards the ceiling, "There are a dozen rooms upstairs for the pleasure girls. They have a girl chained up in each room for the use of the men."

"We must free the ladies!" Minsc roared.

"Do what you must, I will stay here." Soreal continued to nervously pace about the floor as she eyed the floor with a critical eye.

"We must aid the women upstairs Soreal."

Jeral stepped forward and placed a hand gently on her shoulder, in an instant he froze as the tip of her rapier was pressed against the tender skin on the underside of his chin.

"You do what you need to Jeral, I will remain here." With a flick of her wrist she pulled her rapier away, leaving a small trickle of blood dripping down his neck. Rubbing his neck gingerly he looked to Minsc and then Yoshimo. "Very well, we shall deal with whatever lies upstairs." Turning slightly Jeral motioned to Minsc, "Would you mind leading the charge?" Nodding Minsc sheathed Licaror on his back, the massive warblade would be of limited use in the close quarters upstairs, and grabbed a hand axe in each hand. Taking a deep breath Minsc bounded up the stairs, closely trailed by Jeral and Yoshimo. The stairs ended in a small sitting room where four guards men wearing chain mail and armed with swords and round shields stood waiting for them to arrive.

Wordlessly the quartet charged with swords raised and slammed into Minsc, Jeral and Yoshimo. Minsc slammed an axe into the head of one of the guards, his reach allowing him to easily swing over his opponent's shield. Yoshimo deftly parried his opponent's attacks and slid smoothly away from the guardsman. Jeral launched a flurry of strikes and forced his opponent to raise his shield and cower behind it. Once the man's vision was blocked by his shield Jeral dropped down and stabbed the man in the stomach before he could respond to the attack. The guard dropped his sword and shield and fell forward clutching his wound. Jeral leapt over the fallen man and raced down the hallway.

Jeral threw open the first door on the left and stole a glance into the room, there was a narrow bed in the small room, a small table with a wash basis on it and a chamber pot tucked in the corner of the room. A naked young woman, younger than Imoen, was curled up in the corner with her knees tucked to her chest. A chain went from a metal ring on her wrist to a heavy iron ring bolted into the wall. Once Jeral was sure she was alone he smiled reassuringly at her, "You are safe young lady, I will be back in a moment to set you free." Jeral quickly searched the other 11 rooms and found no one other than more young girls, all held in terrible conditions. A pair of shutters was thrown wide open and whatever soldiers had fled upstairs had escaped into the darkness. He turned back to see Minsc and Yoshimo stepping over the quartet of corpses and walking down the hallway.

"Well any other soldiers from downstairs escaped but I think we have made our point clear. Yoshimo, please free the ladies from their chains." Minsc and Yoshimo went room to room unchaining the young women and helping them find a bed sheet or towel to cover themselves. A few of the girls were hysterical until Minsc showed them Boo. Something about the small rodent quieted them down and one of them even smiled shyly. "Get them ready to move," Jeral directed, "I am going downstairs to check on Soreal. Wait here."

Jeral carefully walked downstairs in time to see Soreal slam shut a large iron bound trap door in the floor and throw her body on top of it. Strange howls echoed from under the tavern and the sounds of dozens of claws tearing against the trap door set Jeral's nerves on edge. Soreal's face was pale and something had torn deep bloody gashes in her back. "We need to keep this trap door closed or we will all die." She cried, eyes wide with terror.

"Minsc!" Jeral yelled, "We need you down here now!" Minsc lumbered down the stairs and landed heavily as his momentum slammed him into the stone wall at the base of the stairs. Jeral pointed to the trap door when Soreal was struggling to keep it closed, "We need to put something heavy on this trap door now!" Jeral shouted. Nodding Minsc raced behind the bar and started rooting around. Within moments he carried over a massive beer keg, straining to take the weight. As he started to lower it down Soreal rolled out of the way.

For an instant the trap door was not forced closed, during that brief flicker of time the trap door raised up slightly and a pale hand – a pale hand that ended in long blood drenched claws - reached through the gap. The keg slammed down on the trap door and the fingers were quickly pulled back underneath the trap door. Minsc carried out another keg and set it next to the first, completely covering the trap door. Once Soreal was confident that the trap door would not open she rolled to her feet and stood up, grimacing in pain as she felt the wounds on her back. She looked ashen and far paler than she normally did, her confident demeanor gone. Soreal started shivering uncontrollably as she struggled to open a potion bottle she pulled out of a small pouch on her belt. He hands shook wildly and she was on the verge of dropping the bottle.

Jeral sheathed his blades, walked over to Soreal and calmly took the bottle from her trembling hands, unstoppered it and held it to her pale lips. He had to gently place a steadying hand on the back of her head to calm the shaking enough to allow her to gulp down the strong healing potion. After she swallowed the potion the shivering went away, and when Jeral looked at her back her wounds had closed, but strangely she remained as pale as the grave. Jeral knew that whatever was in the basement was more powerful than they were and to remove the kegs meant certain death.

Jeral quickly came to a decision; they needed to get out of there before whatever was in the basement found another way out. "Minsc, go upstairs and tell Yoshimo that we need to leave right now." Before the ranger could protest Jeral hastily added, "We are taking the girls with us. Make haste." Minsc ran up the stairs and Jeral could hear the mummer of high pitched voices as the girls realized they might taste freedom.

"Jeral," Soreal hissed through clenched teeth, "find the strongest drink you can behind the bar and bring the bottles here."

"I hardly think this is the time for a drink Sor.."

"Now!" Her shouted order cut short Jeral's protest and he watched her body spasm in pain from the effort.

Jeral hastily found a handful of bottles of a very potent clear drawven drink known as _grappa_. Jeral thought the drink was terrible and it made his eyes water and throat burn on the few occasions he had tasted it. He handed a bottle to Soreal and she quickly shattered the neck of the bottle on one of the beer kegs and poured out the alcohol all over the trap door. Minsc led the girls downstairs in a neat line with Yoshimo bringing up the rear.

"Wait outside," Soreal commanded, "We will head to the guild in a moment." Nodding obediently Yoshimo and Minsc shepherded the girls outside. The girls all looked dazed and started numbly at the death and destruction all around them. Once the girls were safely outside, Soreal started throwing bottles of grappa everywhere; against the walls, behind the bar, on the stairwell. When she was out of bottles she walked unsteadily towards the door, before heading outside she turned back and looked at Jeral.

"Burn it," she commanded, "burn this place to the ground. That is our only chance to survive the night." She turned away and staggered outside to join Minsc and Yoshimo.

Jeral turned slowly and took a long look around the common room of the tavern, his arms crossed, one hand contemplatively scratching his chin. "Seems such a waste to burn this place down," he muttered to himself. He walked over to the bar and searched behind it for a few moments before he found the strong box. Disappointingly there was not much coin in it. He poured the coins into his belt pouch and filled it almost to the brim. "Well better than nothing I suppose," he mumbled to himself. He heard something and froze. There it was again, a faint scratching. Jeral strode over to the trap door in the middle of the room and stopped again. The scratching was louder now; it was the sound of claws, dozens of them, clawing against the heavy wooden trapdoor. Jeral found the noise unsettling, something about it chilled him to the bone. Uttering a quick incantation jets of flames shout out of his spread fingers and bathed the room in fire.

Where the magical fire touched the dwarven _grappa_ the flames leapt to the ceiling and burned with an intensity that quickly forced Jeral out of the common room. As the fire spread Jeral swore he heard hissing and cursing coming from the basement. He quickly turned and fled into the night. Minsc had the girls clustered tightly together and hovered protectively over them. Yoshimo was quickly searching the corpses outside for anything of value. Soreal saw Jeral exit the tavern and started slowly walking towards the exit to the district. Jeral fell in with Soreal while Yoshimo brought up the rear. Minsc walked in the middle as he herded the scared girls along. He hummed softly to them and allowed them to pass Boo amongst themselves for reassurance.

"We need to get these girls to the Copper Coronet," Jeral said quietly, "Hendak can help them start new lives, or return to their old ones if that is still possible."

Soreal shook her head grimly, "You will never make it there alive, not tonight. The guild is not far, we should be safe there until morning…..I hope." She walked as fast as she could on her unsteady and weakened legs. As the guild came into sight Jeral was startled to see a half dozen heavily armed men standing around a flaming metal barrel. They were all clad in well made chain mail and carried swords or maces. Each looked far more proficient than the usual thugs that guarded the guild entrance.

"The guild hired mercenaries for additional security?" Jeral asked incredulously.

"They are mercenaries we lured away from the Flaming Fist." Soreal sighed softly, "We have taken casualties and are losing new recruits, and we had no choice."

The guards stiffened at their approach and quickly split into two groups of three. Weapons at the ready one guard stepped forward and held an arm up in warning. "That is close enough. Building is closed until the morning. Move along."

Growling in frustration Soreal stomped angrily up to the guardsmen. She stopped two paces in front of him and looked up at him while poking a finger into his chest. "Either open the doors by the count of five or I will gut you like a fish. I am a senior member of this guild."

The mercenary leader blanched slightly and his hand dropped to the pommel of that sword as he looked back to his companions for reassurance.

Soreal poked him in the chest with more enthusiasm, "If that blade leaves the scabbard you die."

Stepping back a step she continued in a softer voice as she held her hands out away from her sides, "I know your orders, I was there the guild master ordered Renal to give them to you. Now let us in or wake up Renal immediately. We do not have much time."

Having made a decision the guard acted quickly, he strode to the door and hammered on it. When the viewing slit opened he ordered the door open. "Let this lot in, watch them carefully and do not let them move about until Renal meets with them." The viewing slit closed and the heavily barred door opened; Soreal strode inside and motioned the others to follow. Once they were all inside the door was quickly closed are barred once again.

The four ushered in the dozen traumatized girls and found themselves surrounded by dozens of armed men and women. No one was directly threatening them but they were clearly under a close guard for the time being.

Soreal looked around the room and snapped her fingers, "Borden, grab some others and fetch these ladies some clean clothes and some hot food. They will be staying with us until morning so prepare the guest rooms." She continued with some soft menace in her voice, "Ensure that everyone knows the young women are not to be touched. They are under my protection." The young thief nodded and raced off to comply with her orders. She turned on a heel and locked eyes with Yoshimo and then Minsc. "Please make yourselves comfortable. We will return the girls to the Coronet in the morning, it is too dangerous to move tonight." Yoshimo and Minsc nodded obediently. She strode off and looked back over her shoulder, "Jeral with me. I need to report to Renal."

She wended her way through stacks of boxes and crates until she arrived at a small non-descript door. A large man leaned against the wall, seeing Soreal's approach he pushed himself off the wall and stood in front of the door. Soreal stopped a few paces away and tapped her foot impatiently.

"Out of the way Zevon, I need to see Renal."

The large man smirked and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Jeral stopped for a second to take a good look at the man. He was almost as large as Minsc and well muscled, although his stomach showed a love for too much food and ale. He wore a studded leather tunic and a large spiked club leaned against the wall next to him. His face was that of a bare knuckle brawler who lost as many fights as he won. His nose was shattered beyond repair and scars on both side of the face showed that many a bottle had broken over his head. He had greasy blond hair that was tied in a long ponytail that hung down his left side. While not an attractive man he did look competent and dangerous. "Renal just got word you wanted to see him; he will be out when he is ready."

"Step aside; I am not in the mood for your games Zevon."

Smiling he licked his lips and rubbed his hands together. "Now that is a shame, fine thing like you not in the mood. I hear you are never in the mood, maybe you need the right man."

Soreal had stopped tapping her foot and Jeral watched as her body tensed. Looking at the floor she spoke in a low whisper, "It has been a long time since I have lay with anyone, that is true." She lifted up her right leg and twisted her body to her left, bringing her right leg across her body. Uncoiling she straightened out and her right heel snapped back and smashed into the inside of Zevon's left knee. As her leg straightened his knee shattered and off balance he collapsed to the ground. She delivered two swift kicks to his head and he lay still on the floor.

The entire attack happened in an instant. One second the big man was blocking the door, the next he was laying unconscious on the floor with a shattered knee. Stepping over the large man Soreal opened the door and stepped inside, "Good evening Renal, I do apologize for the intrusion." Renal was sitting on the edge of his bed in a large scarlet sleep shirt. He had obviously been sleeping when alerted to their presence in front of the guild.

"Do you really?" Renal asked as he pulled his hair back to tuck into a black scarf. "I think you quite like tormenting me and bullying my guards. I trust Zevon still lives." Getting a nod in response he sighed heavily and completed putting his hair in a scarf and then slid on a pair of dark grey pants. "Well since you are here you might as well make your report." Renal leaned back against the wall and looked from Jeral to Soreal expectantly. Sensing Soreal's reluctance Renal impatiently clapped his hands, "Come now, Jeral is not one of us but he may be considered an ally of the guild after taking care of Mae'Var. We will have no secrets here, at least not at this late hour."

"Very well," Soreal slid wearily to the floor and sat cross legged, once she was settled she started her tale. "Jeral and his friends wanted to pursue the Roenall guards at the Sea's Bounty. I decided to accompany them so I could get a look inside and confirm the rumors that have reached our ears.

Renal leaned forward and looked at Soreal intently, "So what did you find?"

"I managed to find the hidden entrance to the basement of the tavern. I made myself invisible and dropped down through the trap door. What I saw there will stay with me for a long time," Soreal shuddered at the thought. "There was blood everywhere, bodies and parts of bodies lay strewn over the floor. The bodies had been drained of their blood, throats ripped out, and hearts torn from their chests. They were no more than food, just sacks of meat."

Jeral shuddered in voluntarily at Soreal's tale. Even though the room was warm he felt a chill creeping up his spine as she continued her story.

"It is as we feared?" asked Renal quietly.

Soreal shook her head slowly, "No Renal, it is not cultists or the Scarlet Brotherhood. It is worse, so very much worse."

She paused and her lips tightened as if she was unwilling to say the word, "Vampires, the other guild is led by vampires."

 _Author's note:_

 _Totally borrowed the name Aragog from Hagrid's spider in the Harry Potter books. Just love the name and always wanted to use it for an interesting bad guy so it seemed to fit here._

 _I know grappa is Italian but I needed a strong alcohol to make it work so it seemed to fit._


	23. Who said life was fair?

_Happy 4_ _th_ _of July to all! Sorry it has been a while between chapters. I am going to finish this story eventually but definitely not as quickly as planned._

Chapter 23: Who said life was fair?

Jeral woke to the sound of an insistent tapping on the door. He sat up with a start, momentarily disconcerted by the unusual surroundings. Calming, he realized that he was still in Renal's bedroom. His equipment was folded neatly on the table beside Renal's bed where he had left it. Apparently for all their openness they still did believe in secrets for when Soreal and Renal left to brief the guild leader last night Jeral was pointedly directed to stay behind. Too tired to argue Jeral had claimed Renal's bed, passed out and spent the night dreaming of blood, mangled bodies, and vampires. While Jeral was still getting his bearings the door slowly opened and Soreal stepped in carrying a tray with two steaming mugs of coffee, a loaf of warm bread and a small bowl of honey.

"It looks as if we have survived the night. It is just before sunrise. It is time to get you and your companions prepared to move to the Copper Coronet."

Smiling Soreal walked into the room and placed the tray on Renal's bedside table and raised a hand to forestall any comment from Jeral, "And before you ask, Nalia is still at the Roenall Estate. We have men watching the building, if they attempt to move her we shall know."

Soreal had changed into a new set of grey leathers, and had replaced her lost throwing knives. The dark circles under her eyes indicated that she was awake most of the night and she was still unnaturally pale from her encounter under the Sea's Bounty the night before.

Jeral stood, stretched and helped himself to a mug of coffee. The coffee was black, strong and very hot. As Jeral cautiously sipped the coffee he eyed Soreal appraisingly, although she was likely more than twice his age she was an extremely attractive woman, even injured and exhausted. She was also incredibly deadly with her throwing knives and her short rapier.

"It is not polite to stare at a lady Jeral," she chided mockingly as Jeral snapped out of his reverie. "As an example of proper behavior I am not staring at you standing there in nothing but your trousers am I?" Turning serious she continued, "I suspect you may have a few questions."

"Aye, you could say that," Jeral replied coolly as he pulled on his shirt and tucked it into his pants. Soreal spread some honey on a piece of bread and handed it to Jeral. She then took a second piece for herself and ate hungrily.

"Well since I am about to ask a favor of you and your friends I will provide the answers that I can."

Jeral chewed on his toast for a minute before he spoke, "Well let's start with the vampires in the basement of the Sea's Bounty. You tagged along with us because of that correct?"

Soreal nodded once, "Yes." Soreal strode over to Renal's desk and sat down on the edge. "As you know our guild is at war with an unknown enemy. What you likely do not know is that we are losing and that we are taking significant losses. We managed to gather some information that indicated something was afoot at the tavern. We sent people in to investigate and they never were heard from again. They just disappeared."

"So you used us," Jeral said bitterly.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, such childish emotions do not serve you well Jeral." Soreal chided gently. "Our interests aligned, there was no reason to tell you of our suspicions, and you were going there anyway. Besides," she added grimly, "I faced the danger just as you and the others did."

Jeral realized she was right, "Fair enough then. So what happened in the basement?"

Soreal shuddered and looked at the floor. "I will not speak of it here, perhaps once outside in the bright sunlight. Suffice it to say it was something I will never forget. But as I said last night vampires were there in strength. It appears that our adversary has allied with a coven of the undead. That would explain our losses and also how many of the bodies are never found. They are draining them and then serving the carcasses as meat to their lesser undead servants." Soreal hopped off the desk and drained her mug of coffee, "It is time to meet the others outside and I need to feel the sun on my face." Jeral hastily threw on his jacket and boots, grabbed his sword belt, and trotted after Soreal as he buckled it in place.

Once out front of the guild Jeral was delighted to see Minsc and Yoshimo. The pair were standing with the dozen women they had freed the night before. The girls all looked much better having benefited from a good meal, a bath, some clean clothes and the prospect of a life of their own choosing.

Standing unobtrusively around the group were a dozen thieves; apparently Renal was taking no chances with their safety. "I trust Renal is to thank for our escort," Jeral noted brightly.

"Actually the guild master himself commanded it," Soreal replied. Jeral turned to see Kretor striding out the door into the morning sun. Kretor nodded politely at Jeral and then walked up to stand next to his mother, his face a mask of concern.

"It is not too late for me to arrange a carriage for you mother."

Soreal shook her head tiredly, "I can walk to the Coronet Kretor. I am fine."

"You are not fine," Kretor hissed, his face reddening, "that creature dra…"

"Enough!" Soreal snapped at her son and he closed his mouth sullenly. "I said I am fine, persist and you will not be allowed to accompany us."

Kretor straightened up and defiantly locked eyes with his mother, "I am here at the personal command of the guild master," he stated proudly, "and you cannot overrule him."

Soreal started at her son for a long moment and arched one eyebrow regally, "Can't I?" She asked quietly. "Do you really want to press your luck?"

Dropping his head in defeat Kretor shook his head sullenly and mumbled, "No mother. My apologies, I am just worried about you. I will not speak of it again."

Soreal patted Kretor affectionately on the forearm and then whistled shrilly. At her command the group started off, the escorting thieves formed a loose perimeter around the group, eyes ever alert for danger. Kretor walked next to Minsc and started chatting with one of the prettier girls in the group. Soreal walked slowly and she and Jeral soon found themselves at the back of the group.

"So how did your meeting with the guild master go?" Jeral inquired politely.

Soreal inhaled deeply and raised her face to the sky. Before replying she motioned the trailing thieves in the escort to move ahead. Once the pair were safely out of hearing she spoke quietly.

"Our way forward is clear; he is preparing the guild for war, there is no other choice. He is recruiting clerics and has started purchasing equipment to face the undead." She smiled crookedly as she eyed Jeral, "This would be much easier if we were a temple or the order for they are well suited to fight such creatures." Shrugging her shoulders she continued, "Nothing to be done about that I suppose, we shall have to manage as best we can."

"Soreal, why are you not a member of the guild leadership?" Jeral asked. "You are extremely well respected by the guild members and you are as skilled with a weapon as anyone I have seen in a long time. You are a natural leader; everyone in the guild seems to look up to you."

She looked down at her feet for a long moment and the pair walked in silence. Finally she replied, "There was a time when I wanted exactly that. I wanted to be the leader of the guild. There has never been a female leader of any of the guilds in the known realms; I was determined to be the first. Renal, the guild master and I all started in the guild about the same time. Out of a large number of candidates the three of us showed far more promise than any of the others. And if I am honest, I showed more promise than the other two. Renal can defeat a lock better than I can but otherwise there is nothing that either can do better than me. I bested each of them in many tests including numerous duels. As we started rising up the ranks all three of us showed promise but for a time there were whispers that I could someday make history and become guild master."

Jeral listed quietly as the two walked through the city streets, he knew she was telling the tale at her own pace so he just waited. After a few long moments she continued, "But that was not to be my path, the fates destined me to walk another path." She continued to walk along in silence and Jeral could finally not stand it anymore.

"So what happened to change your path?"

Soreal nodded her head in Kretor's direction, "He happened." She said simply.

"Why would a child make any difference?" Jeral asked.

Soreal threw back her head and laughed, but it was a laugh heavy with sadness. "Spoken like a man Jeral. You cannot possibly understand, when you are a parent you may understand somewhat, but even then you will be ignorant for you can never be a mother. No man can ever understand the path women have to walk."

"So please help me understand."

"Very well, you have earned that at least. As I said, I was a young promising member of the guild. I had wealth, I had the life I dreamed of, and I was a true beauty. I cannot tell you how many times I batted my eyes or laid a delicate hand on a man's arm to get my way. Men always underestimated me…to their detriment. There was a great festival one summer many years ago, royalty from as far away as Baldur's Gate came to visit and participate in the festivities. On a dare, Renal, the guild master and I snuck into the most exclusive of the parties in the city. We figured we would eat and drink our fill, steal whatever we could and be home by dawn. Things did not go quite as planned, at least for me. I saw one of the nobles from Baldur's Gate and was smitten. I was very young and he was very handsome. He was surrounded by a dozen girls hanging on his every word. He spotted me across the ballroom and rudely abandoned all of those perfumed ladies and strode across the floor. He bowed deeply, kissed my hand, and pulled me wordlessly onto the dance floor."

She smiled wistfully at the memory before continuing, "We danced the night away and then spent the next few days locked in his room. It was all very romantic and out passion was…intense. Renal tracked me down and dragged me out of bed after a few days; the guild sent us on an urgent mission. I did not have time to find a herbalist or a healer to ensure I was not with child. I was always so careful about that but this time I was not. The mission went bad and took longer than planned. We ended up stranded for a couple months in the mountains and were fortunate to have survived. While there I started to feel the life growing inside me. Once I felt that I knew I wanted to be a mother."

"So you became with child unexpectedly, I still do not see the problem."

"The problem Jeral," she answered with a bit of frustration on her voice, "is that the guild had no patience for a member who was too fat to climb through windows, or too slow to escape when the guards were called. The leadership of the guild made the choice plain to me; lose the child growing inside me or depart the guild."

"That does not seem fair," Jeral stated quietly.

Soreal snorted in disgust and tossed her hair in a rare display of emotion, "Who ever said life was fair? Of course it is not fair. But that is often the way of the world, particularly for women. Only a child or a fool thinks that life is fair. I choose the child growing inside me. I left the guild and set myself up as a merchant; with my connections and willingness to work in areas of questionable legality I was very successful. I had enough to provide for my child and make a life for us. I assumed that was how I would live out my days. But eventually there was a leadership change in the guild and one of my old friends became guild master and Renal one of his top lieutenants. The two of them invited me back in the guild as the organization's fence and supply officer. So in the end I did manage to have the life I always wanted with the guild, more or less."

"But you could have been the guild master; even now you likely could stake your claim."

Soreal smiled thinly as she shook her head, "I made my decision; I do not desire a leadership position in the guild. I lack the stomach for it, and," she added ominously, "should certain members of the guild see me as a threat to their positions then Kretor's life would be at risk. In many ways his life ensures my satisfaction with the status quo."

"Did you know Mae'Var had him?"

Smiling Soreal looked at Jeral and nodded knowingly, "Oh yes, I heard almost as soon as he was taken. I was insistent that the guild act…extremely insistent. In fact they hired you and your friends in an effort to placate me; for I had threatened to gain the services of the order to bring Mae'Var down. They did not want to risk such unwanted attention to their operations so they complied with my demand. So even though I lack a leadership position in the guild I do have significant influence. I have pushed to get more women into the guild and they have done extremely well. The guild is stronger for their presence, and the women all do look for me for support and guidance."

As the pair rounded a corner the Copper Coronet finally came into view. Smiling Jeral quickened his pace as he entered the tavern. Hendak was standing with Bernard as they entered. Once Jeral explained the situation Hendak started barking orders and the dozen girls were soon sitting down at tables piled high with food as older women sat down with them to offer a comforting ear. Hendak and the former gladiators would ensure the women could make a new life of their choosing. Hendak guided Jeral to a table on the other side of the room and pulled out a chair for him.

"Sit Jeral, I will let Viconia and Anomen know that you have returned." As Hendak turned to walk away Jeral grabbed his sleeve, "Hendak, wait. Is Anomen…..?" The question hung in the air, unfinished for Jeral was afraid of the answer.

Hendak smiled broadly and peeled Jeral's hand off his sleeve. "Squire Anomen is fine, bruised and sore, but fine. Sit, have some breakfast, I will go and fetch them both for you." Hendak started to head upstairs but then paused and looked back at Jeral, " By the way your armor is back in your room, better than it was before," he then turned and headed upstairs as Jeral and Soreal sat down at the table.

Jeral and Soreal made small talk until Soreal stiffened, Jeral turned his head and watched as Anomen and Viconia approached the table. Anomen moved slowly towards the table and looked in need of a good night's sleep. Smiling wanly he slid into a chair and smiled at Jeral and Soreal. Viconia silently slid into the chair between Anomen and Soreal. Anomen nodded tiredly and slid a ring across the table to Jeral.

"I believe that this belongs to you." Jeral took the ring from Anomen's hand and slid it onto his finger.

"How are you feeling?" Jeral asked quietly.

"Well enough, Viconia saved my life and has mended all of my injuries." Smiling fondly at the drow he continued, "I am once again in your debt Viconia." Viconia waved the complement away and took a drink of her tea. "Another day of rest and you will be your pious prattling self once again." Viconia turned and looked intently at Soreal. She leaned forward and grasped Soreal's face firmly and quickly twisted it side to side.

"What happened to you?" Viconia demanded.

"I was actually coming here to see you, I need your assistance."

"Say no more, follow me." Viconia released her hold on the woman's face, rose to her feet and strode off to the stairs closely followed by Soreal. Anomen watched the women leave and then turned his gaze back at Jeral, "Where is Nalia? Is she safe?" He asked as he intently locked eyes with Jeral.

Jeral nodded and smiled at Anomen, "She is still at the Roenall Estate." Anomen lurched unsteadily to his feet and clenched his fists tightly together, "We must rescue her immediately! I will not allow her to remain in danger a moment longer!"

"Sit down Anomen, you can barely stand. Let me tell you how we spent last night and you will find the tale is worth your time." Reluctantly Anomen settled in his chair, crossed his arms across his broad chest and scowled at Jeral. "Very well, speak and I will listen. But speak quickly for I am not a patient man, particularly when it concerns Nalia's safety."

"Fair enough," Jeral replied. "Here is the short version. Last night after we saved your life we attacked the Roenall guards who beat you and captured Nalia. They hang out at a tavern called the Sea's Bounty. In the process we discovered that the tavern was owned by Isaea and it was a very nasty place. By the time we were done our enemies were dead or had fled and we burned the place to the ground."

Anomen smiled and pounded a fist on the table. "Helm be praised Jeral." His brow creased in thought, "While I am delighted to learn that you have struck a blow against the man that attacked me and took Nalia I fail to see how that helps us free her."

Jeral pulled out the ledger from his jacket pocket and tossed it onto the table. The small green book thudded onto the table. Anomen looked at it and raised an eyebrow at Jeral. "What should I do with this?"

Smiling Jeral leaned back in his chair and stretched, "According to a lovely pirate fellow we met named Barg this ledger will be more than enough to incriminate Isaea." Anomen started leafing through the ledger while muttering, "Names, dates, slaves, black lotus, diamonds…this is more than enough. Incredible"

Beaming Anomen leapt to his feet and scooped up the book eagerly. "I will take this to the Order. After reading this they will direct the Magistrate to release Nalia from the Roenall estate. Nalia will be back in my arms very soon!" As Anomen turned to depart Jeral grabbed his arm tightly. "Anomen, you are in no shape to move about alone, you cannot even wear your armor yet. Isaea could have more men waiting for you. It is not safe to travel unescorted."

"Then grab your armor and accompany me."

Jeral shook his head. "I am a Bhaalspawn Anomen. You know the Order is concerned about my very existence. I fear that any of us would weaken your case. Please allow Hendak to assign you an escort. Someone of your stature traveling with guards will not weaken your case as my attendance would. "

Anomen nodded quietly and shook his arm free from Jeral. "Your idea has merit; I will wait a few moments for Hendak's men, but please have them hurry." Jeral quickly tracked down Hendak and he dispatched a quartet of tough looking gladiators to accompany Anomen. The five of them departed and Jeral ordered a large breakfast. After enjoying his second cup of coffee Minsc strode down the stairs and joined Jeral at the table. He clapped his hands together loudly and called for breakfast and coffee for Minsc. Once the food arrived Minsc tucked into a platter of sausages and started babbling through a mouth full of food.

"Hendak says the ladies will all be safe, and free to make a new life for themselves. This is a great day." Minsc looked around as he lifted another sausage to his mouth. "Where are Squire Anomen and Viconia?"

"Viconia is upstairs with Soreal; I think she required healing after the encounter in the tavern last night. Anomen is on his way to the Order to see if he can get Nalia' freed from the Roenall Estate."

"You did not let Anomen go out alone did you Jeral?" Minsc asked through a mouthful of sausages.

Jeral shook his head, "Fear not Minsc. Hendak provided him an escort. Squire Anomen should be safe enough during the day, even without us." Minsc nodded as he stabbed another sausage with his fork, "You are very wise Jeral." Minsc looked around and the returned his gaze to Jeral, "So what should we do today?"

Smiling Jeral stood up and clapped the big man on the shoulder. "How bout some sparring after breakfast? I need the practice."

Minsc paused for a moment and then nodded in agreement. The pair hastily finished their breakfast and then retired upstairs to put on their armor and prepare themselves.

Suitably armed and armored the pair strode out to the center of the sand floor of the arena in the Copper Coronet.

"Ok Minsc, let's see what you've got."

Jeral held out his two heavily padded swords and faced off against Minsc and his equally padded warblade Licaror. Clad head to toe in finely made plate mail and an open faced horned helm Minsc was a fearsome sight, a massive tower of metal encased rage.

"Minsc does not want to hurt Jeral, are you sure this is a good idea?"

Smiling Jeral shook his head, "Do not worry about hurting me, Viconia is upstairs so she can fix any damage you do."

Mince did not look convinced but he assumed a high guard position, his great sword held high ready to strike. Jeral lunged forward and swung both swords low at Minsc's left leg. Minsc deftly lifted his left leg and both swords swung harmlessly under his foot.

 _That ranger moves really well for a plate clad big man_. Jeral thought. Minsc quickly stepped forward and swung out with Licaror. Jeral quickly went on the defensive parrying blow after blow as Minsc slowly pushed him back across the arena floor.

Gritting his teeth Jeral rolled under a strike from Minsc and leapt to his feet at the ranger's side. As he prepared to strike at the big man the ranger lashed out with a plate clad elbow, striking Jeral violently in the temple. Jeral staggered back and struggled to clear his head as the pain radiated out from his skull bringing tears to his eyes. Jeral's vision cleared in time to see a massive overhand strike coming towards him. Jeral just managed to cross his blades over his head in time to block Licaror. The force of the blow drove Jeral to a knee and almost jarred the blades from his hands.

 _He is stronger than I am, has greater reach and is almost as quick with his blade. How can I beat someone like this_? Shaking his head Jeral lurched to his feet and redoubled his attack stabbing and slashing with both swords. Minsc continued to parry his strikes with minimal effort. Smiling Jeral came to a conclusion, _well if I cannot win fairly then I just have to cheat_. Smiling Jeral dropped the short sword in his left hand to the sand and started tracing some patterns with his fingers while backpedaling from the advancing ranger. Minsc was steadily advancing and readying to strike Jeral on his unprotected left side.

"I am so pleased to see that Jeral is smiling, Misc was worried that he was hurting you."

"I am doing just fine Minsc; in fact I still think I can win!"

Jeral leapt forward and flung out his left hand with his fingers spread, magic coursed through him and a spray of colored beams launched out and shot straight into the big ranger's eyes.

Minsc grunted and shook his head to clear his vision, and that was all the distraction Jeral needed. He gripped the Blade of Roses in a two handed grip and slashed out savagely on the ranger's left arm. The padded blade smashed into the plate mail, Minsc grunted in pain and his sword slipped from his hands. A look of rage came over the ranger's face but it was quickly replaced by a broad grim and he started to applaud.

"Well done Jeral, you used tricky magic to beat Minsc."

Patting the ranger on the shoulder Jeral smiled back. "Minsc despite all my improvements with my blades the only chance I have against a warrior such as you is if I cheat. Please know I admire your skills and value your friendship. Someday I hope to be able to beat you fairly, but in the meantime let me buy you and Boo a drink." The two sweaty warriors headed back into the Copper Coronet common room and settled into an unoccupied table in the corner. Bernard strolled over with a pitcher or water and another of a dark ale. Jeral poured them each cups of water as well as mugs of dark ale. Jeral drained his water down and smacked his lips happily as he raised in empty glass in salute.

"Minsc, you are one of the greatest swordsmen I have ever seen. You are a credit to Rasheman."

Minsc shook his head and looked down into his tankard of ale.

"Minsc has failed his test, failed his witch, and failed his people. I have shamed my people and may never return home." Jeral watched transfixed as the ranger's entire body shuddered from silent sobs. Boo sat on the table on his hind legs and squeaked softly. Jeral could swear that the little rodent was trying to reassure Minsc.

Minsc lifted his head and looked at Jeral with red bloodshot eyes. "The traditions are clear, I can never return home for I lost my witch and failed my test. Nothing can ever change that. You and Imoen and Viconia are my tribe now." Minsc drained his ale and gently picked up Boo and placed him on his shoulder. Minsc clenched his jaw and looked fiercely at Jeral, "Minsc will fight and die at your side, for you are a force for goodness. I will fight with you and kill this mage Irenicus and free Imoen, for she is a witch who needs a protector." Minsc scratched his chin thoughtfully and inhaled deeply. Wrinkling his nose he muttered to himself, "Minsc must bathe." Minsc turned away and quickly strode upstairs.

Jeral watched him go as he sipped his ale. Irenicus had to die and pay for his crimes, not just for Jeral's sake but for Minsc and Imoen as well. Jeral slowly removed the rags from his blades and slid them both into their scabbards. Viconia and Soreal slid into chairs on the other side of the table. Soreal looked much better, the color was back in her face and she looked years younger than she had earlier in the day. Viconia, on the other hand, looked exhausted and leaned heavily on her elbows as she eyed Jeral tiredly.

"Soreal you are looking much better." Soreal blushed and looked fondly at Viconia. "I am whole and healthy again thanks to Viconia. She is a gifted healer and I am deeply in her debt."

Viconia nodded tiredly, "I am always pleased to heal a strong female. You are fortunate to survive; most surfacers would have died from such a draining."

Soreal nodded grimly and her hand dropped to the hilt of her rapier, "I am harder to kill than I look. We will have to be very carefully before we face their ilk again." Looking to change the subject Soreal looked around and asked, "Where is Anomen?"

"He went to present the ledger we found to the leadership of the Order. He expects them to go with him to the magistrate and that they will order Nalia's release."

"The Order will not help him, he will be sadly disappointed." Viconia shook her head tiredly as she fingered the glass of wine that Bernard placed in front of her.

"How can you say that Viconia? With all of the evidence against Isaea, how can they not act?"

Viconia inhaled deeply and paused before speaking, "Jeral, I am not a surfacer but I understand the Order. They believe that their precious rules are inviolable. They want to be a force of good but their slavish adherence to their beliefs is their downfall."

"You speak in riddles Viconia, that makes no sense."

"It makes perfect sense to those who listen Jeral. Look at me, I am a perfect example. I am drow, the drow are evil and a threat to the surface realms, therefore I am a threat to the surface realms."

"But we both know that is not the case, it is more complicated than that."

"Exactly!" Viconia smacked her palm on the table forcefully and then returned to toying with her drink. "Life is complicated. Things are not always as cut and dried as we would wish. Good and evil are simple in theory and far more complex in practice. Life is far more grey than we would like at times but it is the life we have."

"So life is complex, I fail to see how that hinders the Order."

Viconia locked eyes with Soreal and shook her head before returning her tired gaze to Jeral. "Look around you. Think how Anomen has changed. He now consorts with thieves, drow and Bhallspawn. I am sure the Order frowns on all three associations. He bedded Nalia and took her maidenhead even though her chastity was promised to Isaea."

Jeral started at the last comment and shook his head, "Are you sure? What does that matter anyway? They are both adults."

Soreal spoke before Viconia could respond, "Jeral, that is a significant transgression. If it becomes known that Anomen bedded Nalia then he could be put to death for interfering with an arranged marriage."

Jeral shook his head doggedly, "I cannot believe that matters, Anomen is a long serving Squire within the Order, they will support him, they have to."

Viconia took a sip of her wine and spoke quietly, "Do you remember the words I spoke to Keldorn in the sewers when he tried to kill me?"

Jeral nodded, "Yes, that you faced his kind ages ago and that you had killed a paladin of the Order before."

"Well that was the truth, I was young, around Soreal's age and I was given the honor of leading my first patrol. A score plus drow had fled our city and were making their way to the surface. They were all commoners, just farmers and herders, no one of note. They had renounced Lloth and turned their back on our ways. Needless to say we could not allow that to go unpunished. So I was given command of a dozen male warriors and my older sister accompanied us an observer. My command was to hunt them down and bring them back for sacrifice to Lloth."

She sipped at her wine before continuing, "They had a two day head start on us but their trail was easy to follow. They included infants in their number so the trail of food and soiled clothes was apparent to even the least observant. They managed to make the surface and set up camp in the woods not far from the caves, as is they were afraid to truly leave their home."

Viconia took another sip of wine and savored it, "Before we could attack a patrol from the Order found them. A score mounted knights and squires rode into the camp and put the drow to the sword."

"Unfortunate but hardly surprising Viconia," she held up a hand to silence any further interruptions.

"A handful of drow surrendered, a spineless male and two females both with babes at their breast. The armored men quickly surrounded the survivors and dismounted. The leader of the patrol was a paladin of Torm. He was young and strong and very handsome for a surfacer. He dismounted and stared at the drow for a long while. The male dropped to his knees and begged for mercy. The paladin ran him through and watched as he bled to death on the forest floor."

Viconia paused and started into her wine glass for long moments before she continued, "The knight ordered his men to build a massive bonfire. Once the fire was roaring he commanded his men to toss the corpses on the fire. Once that was done his men pulled the babies from the women and held them at knife point. Despite the language barrier the message was clear. If the women resisted their children would die."

"Resist what?" Jeral whispered, even though the knot in his stomach told him he already knew the answer.

"Rape." Viconia answered simply. The knights took turns with the women who allowed themselves to be violated for the love they held for their children. Once the knights finished they let their squires have a turn. They treated the women like dogs; they spit on them and beat them as they raped them. Once all the men were done they held the women down and made them watch as their fed their infants to the flames. As the women screamed in anguish the knight and his second in command slit their throats and added their bodies to the pyre. And that was not even the worse part."

"What could be worse?" Jeral asked, his voice a strained whisper.

"Once they had finished slaughtering my people they dropped to their knees in prayer. After thanking their Gods they congratulated one another on their great victory over the evil drow. As I watched from the shadows anger filled within me, anger I had never felt before. I cast a spell that snuffed out the fire and cloaked the woods in darkness. As the darkness fell we attacked. Despite the surprise the men of the Order fought well. They formed pairs and fought back to back as best they could while calling upon their Gods to dispel the darkness."

She smirked as she took another sip of wine, "Their Gods must have been displeased for the darkness did not lift. The fighting was fierce and soon only the leader of their party remained. I stood, alive and unwounded, as did three of my men. My sister and the rest lay dead of dying. I lifted the spell and as light returned to the clearing the knight saw that he was one against four. The fool challenged me to single comment. I declined of course and the four of us quickly overwhelmed him. We did not kill him; instead we took his back as our prize. I was given the honor of cutting out his heart on the altar within the Temple of Lloth and I took great pleasure in doing exactly that. He was alive when I cut out his heart and I wanted him to pay for what he had done to my people."

Viconia raised her glass and rose to her feet. "I must sleep, but remember this well Jeral, life is complicated, be wary of those who seek to make it seem simple for they will lead you down a dangerous path. Keldorn is no better than his predecessor. I was willing to judge Keldorn on his actions as an individual. He was unwilling to do the same. To him the rules say drow are evil and must be killed, he was unwilling to see otherwise. The rules in this case say Isaea is a member of the nobility and that Nalia is a woman who cannot control her own destiny. Anomen will get no help from the Order this day. We will have to find another way to win Nalia's release. I must rest but once I recover my strength I will aid Anomen in releasing Nalia. I will not allow a women such as her to be held by such a pathetic male."

Viconia turned and slowly made her way upstairs. Soreal and Jeral sat quietly as they sipped their drinks and waited for Anomen to return.


	24. No help from the Order

Chapter 24: No help from the Order

The remainder of the afternoon dragged by with an agonizing slowness as Jeral waited for Anomen to return to the Copper Coronet. Soreal and Kretor departed to attend to guild business but they promised to return by sunset for dinner. Jeral passed the time as best he could. He took a long hot bath and had one of Hendak's men give him a haircut and then shave the thin shadow of a beard that had started to cover his youthful face. He also had the staff wash his soiled clothes and he dressed in one of his finer outfits. He attired himself in a pair of dark grey breeches made of a thick linen and topped it with a short sleeve red tunic. His short waisted black jacket went over the shirt and completed his outfit. After he buckled on his sword belt Jeral carried his spellbook downstairs along with the one he bought for Imoen. He found a well lit table close to the bar and spent the remainder of the afternoon scribing spells from scrolls they had recovered into the two spellbooks.

Since Imoen was far more talented with the arcane arts Jeral consistently placed the most complex and powerful spells in her spell book. So focused was Jeral on his task that he failed to notice as the common room started to fill with the dinner crowd. Hendak placed a lantern at the center of the table to provide additional light as the sun went down and had a serving girl clean up the discarded and drained scrolls that littered the floor around Jeral's table.

"You are turning into quite the mage Jeral, I am suitably impressed." Yoshimo silently slid into a chair across the table from Jeral and snapped his fingers to get the attention of a serving girl. Patting her bottom fondly he asked for a tankard of dark ale. The ale quickly arrived and Yoshimo took a long draught and belched happily as he settled the tankard back on the table.

Jeral shook his head tiredly as he eyed the bounty hunter, "I wish that was true Yoshimo. I have no real talent for magic. I struggle with all but the simplest of enchantments. I just wanted to use the time I had today to scribe some of the scrolls we found into our spell books. Nalia got most of the spells but I held some back for Imoen and myself. I scribed the most powerful of the spells into Imoen's spellbook for she is far more talented than I am."

Yoshimo nodded understandingly, "You miss her don't you?"

"I do, I really do Yoshimo. She is the only family I have left. It kills me to wait, knowing she is held against her will, but I need to be stronger – we all need to be stronger – to have any chance against this Irenicus."

Yoshimo shuddered involuntarily as he quickly took a drink of his ale to mask his discomfort. He locked eyes with Jeral and spoke with a quiet intensity, "Jeral of Candlekeep, know that I will give my life to ensure that you see your sister again. I swear this on my sister's soul."

"Thank you Yoshimo." Jeral nodded fondly at the bounty hunter as he started to close the spellbooks and clean up the pile of scrolls, quills and ink wells that littered the table. Jeral excused himself to return the items to his room. When he came back down to the table he saw that Minsc, Viconia, Kretor and Soreal had all joined Yoshimo at the table. Yoshimo was shuffling a deck of cards and trying to deal a card off the bottom of the deck. Soreal caught him every time and pointed out what he was doing incorrectly with his hands. In a huff Yoshimo sulked quietly as he tried to incorporate the tips she had provided him.

Jeral slid into his seat at the table and smiled at everyone. "Any word from Squire Anomen?"

Every shook their head in the negative. Soreal looked worriedly at the door, having positioned herself in the seat facing the main entrance of the tavern.

"Sunset is almost here so I am sure he will be back soon. He knows better than to be out on the street at night, even with Hendak's men escorting him."

Silence returned to the table as the group quietly sipped at their drinks and waited anxiously for the Helmite to return. Bernard came by and asked if the group was ready for dinner but they elected to wait for Anomen's arrival. To ensure they did not go hungry in the interim Bernard brought out a large platter full of cheeses, nuts, and sausage. Boo scampered over to the platter and helped himself to a large almosd and sat there munching on it contentedly. He seemed to be the only one unaffected but the worry that had settled over the table like a cloud.

Soreal started and leaned forward in her chair as Anomen stormed into the tavern, closely trailed by the four gladiators Hendak had assigned to escort him. Anomen looked wildly around the room, seeing Jeral and the others he strode rapidly to the table. His face was locked in a scowl and his entire body looked tensed and ready to explode.

"THOSE FOOLS DID NOTHING!"

Anomen slammed a fist down on the table, knocking glasses over. A silence fell over the dining room of the tavern. Anomen's voice, well trained from years on the drill field, carried well and echoed through the tavern.

Hendak hurried over and patted Anomen on the shoulder. "Welcome back good Anomen, may I suggest you all retire to my office? You may speak freely in there away from the ears of so many."

Seeing the wisdom on Hendak's words Anomen nodded and quickly strode off after Hendak. The others quickly got to their feet and followed, Jeral tossed a few coins on the table to cover the drinks. Even though Hendak promised they could drink for free for eternity Jeral always liked to leave something extra for the serving girls. A few coins mattered little to him in the scheme of things while they might make a great deal of difference to the women serving their drinks.

Hendak opened the door to his office and the group quickly settled around a table in the corner. "Make yourselves comfortable, I will have dinner and drinks brought to you and then ensure that you are not disturbed. This room is well made and warded to ensure no sound escapes, one of the helpful features that Lehtinen had put in place. Such a helpful fellow, it was almost a shame I had to kill him. Almost." Hendak smiled darkly at the memory of killing his former captor and departed the room.

Everyone took a seat save Anomen who paced the room with barely controlled rage. Everyone waited quietly until the food and drinks had arrived. Bernard and the staff had outdone themselves. Unbidden they had reserved rooms for Soreal and Kretor and handed them the keys, recognizing that it was unsafe for them to travel to their homes after dark. The staff placed a large platter in the center of the table. There was a large roast and a slab of venison on the tray surrounded by roasted carrots and potatoes. A large bowl of greens accompanied the platter as did bottles of blood wine, dark ale, and clean water. Everyone save Anomen served themselves while Anomen continued to pace. He was muttering darkly under his breath and finally stopped pacing. He took a few deep breaths and quietly slid into a chair between Jeral and Soreal. Clenching his fists tightly together Anomen took one last deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"The Order refused to help. Nalia remains a captive of the Roenall's at their estate." The anger was clear in his voice as was the frustration and worry.

"What happened when you met with the Order Anomen?" Jeral asked quietly. "What happened when the reviewed the ledger?"

"They declared it a forgery; they said a member of the nobility who also served as an officer in the militia could never do anything so despicable as to trade in slaves. They then destroyed the ledger to prevent 'slandering a good man.' Furthermore, the Order knows that someone attacked the Sea's Bounty and burned it to the ground. They suspect us for the crime. The warned that should the evidence implicate us they would have us arrested."

"Did you tell them you were recovering from your injuries when attacked by the Roenall guards?" Jeral asked indignantly.

"I did," Anomen replied quietly. "However that was of no import to them, for the official report claims I was drunk and attacking Lady Nalia in the street and that Isaea's guards merely defended her from me. Given my father's history of drinking and violence they are inclined to believe the worst in me I am afraid."

"How can they believe that? What of your years of loyal service as a Squire?"

Anomen shook his head sadly, "My reputation in the Order has always been a mixed one. As a priest of Helm I follow a different path than most Squires. Additionally, my father's reputation has always caused whispers behind my back, they wonder if the son always follows in the father's footsteps."

"That is ridiculous!" Jeral replied hotly, "You are not your father; you are your own man."

Anomen smiled grimly. "Aye, you speak the truth Jeral, but they will see what they will see. I might have still swayed them were it not for Sir Keldorn."

"The grey one denounced you for traveling with a Bhaalspawn and a drow didn't he?" Viconia asked quietly.

"How could you possibly know that?" Anomen gawked at the drow.

Viconia shrugged her shoulders and smiled a tight smile that did not reach her eyes. "I have met his kind before; it is consistent with his sense of law and order."

"It gets worse."

"How can it possibly get any worse?" Jeral asked morosely.

"Jeral in many ways you are just a child, no matter how bad things are it can always get worse." Viconia noted darkly.

Anomen nodded grimly. "Viconia speaks the truth of it. Not only did Sir Keldorn denounce me he then accused me of engaging in carnal relations with a 'foul drow temptress'."

Those around the table erupted in outrage, all save Viconia who snorted mockingly, "As if I would let Anomen into my bed!" She seemed to find the whole situation extremely amusing.

Minsc slammed a meaty fist down on the table and the room quieted immediately. He pushed himself to his feet and looked at each individual in turn before he spoke, his voice a rumble of barely contained rage. "Little Nalia must be rescued now. Anomen and I will lead the way and we will kick down the door to her prison and rescue her. All who stand in our way shall fall."

Anomen quickly rose and walked around to the other side of the table. After a moment's pause he embraced Minsc in a fierce hug and held it for a long moment. Stepping back he smiled at Minsc and motioned him to his seat. "Please be seated my friend. I appreciate your desire to rescue Nalia, and no one is braver and more loyal than you, but we cannot simply attack Lord Roenall's home. That would make us outlaws and Nalia is too good for such a life. I desperately want her free but we must think carefully before we strike."

Jeral appraised Anomen carefully and realized that he had matured greatly in a short time. He was far more open minded and thoughtful than he was when they first met. The table lapsed into silence as the group pondered next steps.

"We could sneak Nalia out of the estate in the dark of night." Yoshimo spoke quietly, but every eye in the room turned to look at the bounty hunter.

Anomen shook his head in frustration. "Stealth will not work. The Roenall estate is heavily guarded and they have enlisted the Cowled Wizards to aid them. I suspect the house is warded to detect anyone moving under a spell of invisibility or employing any sort of arcane magic."

"You misunderstand me good Helmite. I propose we slip something into their food, something odorless and tasteless and undetectable. Once it takes effect we stroll in and carry Nalia out."

Anomen blanched, "I will not condone poisoning an entire estate, that is murder on such a massive scale I am horrified you would even suggest it."

Yoshimo looked deeply insulted as he smirked at the younger man, "You misunderstand me good Squire. I am no monster, I do not condone murder in any form. However, in my profession I often have to make my targets more pliable, easier to transport. I am never without a few strong sleeping draughts. A simple handful of coins to the right servant, a vial slipped into the evening meal, and Nalia in your arms by sunrise."

Anomen smiled at the thought and nodded, "Your idea has some merit Yoshimo, it might work."

"Stop thinking like a lovesick fool Helmite," Viconia snapped. "There is no guarantee that everyone in the house will consume the evening meal. Also once some people start passing out they will raise an alarm and call for additional guards. Lastly and most importantly, if Nalia departs that house in a surreptitious manner of any kind she will be hunted for the rest of her life. As will we if they suspect our involvement."

"I will not leave Nalia as a prisoner of the Roenall's." Anomen spoke quietly but there was determination in his voice and a hint of desperation.

"Helmite, please know that Nalia will be returned to you in short order. Her kidnapping is an affront to a woman's rightful place in society. In my realm women rule, that is the rightful order of things. To see a woman such as Nalia held as chattel is an affront to all I hold dear."

"Viconia, that is all well and good but how can we free her." Jeral asked quietly.

"The key," Viconia said confidently, "is Lord Roenall, Isaea's father. We need to convince him to release Nalia from this marriage contract."

"Isaea will never agree to that." Anomen said sourly.

Viconia smiled knowingly. "I am sure he would not, that is why we will discuss this with the Lord Roenall himself and with Lord Roenall alone. We need to know when the father is home without the son."

"Isaea reports to the Council building most days for his role as a militia lieutenant," Kretor chimed in. "He should report to work tomorrow morning."

"So that is when Soreal and I will go visit Lord Roenall. Kretor, Yoshimo, can you two follow Isaea and ensure he does not return home unexpectedly? Nalia will need to be out of the house before he returns or else all is lost."

The pair nodded their agreement and departed the room to arrange a time to meet in the morning.

"Viconia, I must go with you."

Shaking her head the drow locked eyes with the Helmite, "Anomen, we need to handle this carefully. Men in this realm underestimate women, particularly attractive ones. Soreal and I can probably bend this male to our will but if you or any other man attends he will not act the same way. You must trust me in this, bending men to my will is something at which I excel."

"You speak wisely Viconia, and know that I trust you with my life. Thank you."

Viconia nodded once and then rose to her feet. Soreal and I have much to discuss, please excuse us. If all goes as planned we should have Nalia back by lunch tomorrow.

"What should the rest of us do?" Jeral inquired politely.

"Figure out a place for us to go. Once Nalia returns it would be for the best if we left town for some time to allow Isaea to get over the loss of his wife to be."

The next morning Yoshimo and Kretor slipped out of the Copper Coronet quietly and headed to the Roenall Estate to trail Isaea and ensure that he did not return to the estate unexpectedly. Viconia and Soreal enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and then departed for the Government District. The pair walked slowly towards the Roenall Estate, they chatted quietly and kept their eyes peeled for danger. The finally reached the Roenall Estate and as they approached the saw two guardsmen standing out front of the Estate. As the women approached the men stiffened and crossed their spears, barring entrance onto the property.

"Lord Roenall is not entertaining visitors today," one mumbled brusquely, "move along." Viconia removed her helm and handed it to Soreal. Both guards stared mouths agape at the white haired drow standing in front of them. Viconia crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. Soreal stepped between Viconia and the guards and spoke in a subservient pleading voice, "Please good sirs, my mistress has business with Lord Roenall and she does not like to be kept waiting." The guards looked to one another for reassurance before the one on the left spoke again, "Lord Roenall is not entertaining visitors today, move along."

Soreal smiled shyly, the guard sounded less confident than he had moments before. "Good sirs, my mistress is drow as you can see, should the neighbors see her waiting outside the Roenall Estate is could be quite the scandal. Lord Roenall is sure to be wroth with you for causing him such embarassment."

One guard nodded to the other and they uncrossed their spears and opened the gate to the property.

"Please knock and state your business to the steward. He will take you to see Lord Roenall."

Soreal nodded her thanks while Viconia just looked disgusted and the pair calmly walked through the small garden to the entrance of the estate. Soreal knocked on the large ornate door that served as the entrance to the Roenall estate. The door was polished smooth and painted a light sky blue. Silver runes were etched across the door making it look like silver wisps of clouds floating across the sky. Soreal nudged Viconia with an elbow and motioned to the runes on the door, "Those are magical wards that likely prevent anyone from teleporting into or out of the home."

Viconia raised an eyebrow and looked at Soreal appraisingly, "You are a mage in additional to all of your other talents?"

Soreal nodded in the negative, "Nothing so impressive. I was breaking into a house early in my career and a magical trap almost killed me. Left some scars so that taught me I had best learn to detect and avoid magical traps. I found a friendly wizard who taught me how to detect and sometimes remove magical traps."

"Sounds like a helpful wizard," Viconia added.

"Oh he was," Soreal allowed herself a quick chuckle, "and he had a few other talents that I put to good use as well."

Shaking herself out of her reverie Soreal pulled on the gilded chain next to the door. The sound of chimes tinkling echoed through the house. Within moments the ornate door opened and the women were face to face with an elderly man in a high collared scarlet robe that indicated he was the steward of the Roenall Estate. His wrinkled face was pinched and his lips were pursed in a pouty frown. His long grey hair cascaded down past his shoulders in back while the hair in the front and on the sides was tied up in a top knot. A small silver whistle hung around his neck on a matching chain. He looked the women up and down and a look of distaste spread across his face.

"Lord Roenall is not entertaining guests today, I have no idea why the guards allowed you to pass. Theirs was an error I will correct. Begone." The steward's voice was surprisingly high pitched and dripped with disdain as he started to shut the door in their face.

The indignity was too much for Viconia to stand. The drow cleric slid forward and stopped the door from closing. She then quickly placed her left hand on the back of the steward's head. Grasping a handful of greasy hair she pulled the man's head forward until their foreheads were touching.

In a harsh whisper Viconia growled at the man, her words dripping with implied violence. Shuddering in fear the steward nodded obediently as his face paled. Looking down Viconia stepped back quickly as a stain started spreading in the middle of the man's robes.

"I…I…I will fetch Lord Roenall straight away Mistress DeVir. Please wait in the sitting room." The steward pointed an unsteady arm to a pair of sliding double doors on his left. He then turned on a heel and raced away, quickly bounding up the stairs with the energy of a much younger man. Soreal looked at Viconia inquiringly and raised an inquiring eyebrow at Viconia, "Dare I ask what you said to that poor man?"

"Nothing too interesting, I did not want to kill the old man so I tempered my words. I just told him if Lord Roenall was not standing in front of me quickly I would skin him alive and then serve him his own cooked man parts."

Fighting back a smile Soreal nodded severely as she eyed the drow, "I am glad you took it easy on him, I cannot imagine how he might have reacted if you did not." Looking pleased with herself Viconia opened the sliding doors, strolled across the room to a sideboard, and poured herself a glass of blood wine from a crystal bottle with a platinum stopper. Viconia took a deep drink and sighed contentedly.

"Lord Roenall has excellent taste, this is exceptional wine. You must try it." Soreal strode over to the sideboard and laid Viconia's helm next to the decanter. Viconia poured a second glass, handed it to Soreal, and then topped off her own glass. Clinking their glasses together the ladies each sipped at the wine as they waited for Lord Roenall to arrive.

They did not have long to wait, they were both quietly sipping their wine when Lord Roenall angrily strode into the room trailed by six soldiers in the house livery. The steward cowered behind the last guardsman, his face white and trembling as he looked into the room. He raised a trembling arm as he eyed Viconia and cried out in a trembling voice, "There is the beast my lord! She threatened me with death, she must be an assassin."

Lord Roenall quietly appraised the two women for a long moment and Soreal and Viconia took the time to make an assessment of Lord Roenall. He was of middle age, his long dark hair starting to show streaks of silver. He wore it unbound and it reached past the top of his shoulders. Soreal knew it was not a hairstyle considered fashionable by the nobility, as they consistently tried new looks to maintain a 'sophisticated' air about them. Clearly Lord Roenall was his own man. His face was handsome and the lines from age served to make him look more distinguished not less. Despite the weathered features his eyes were bright blue and seemed alive with youthful laughter.

Taller than Anomen he towered over the two women. He was solidly built and looked like a man who could defend himself when needed. He wore a dark green shirt with billowing sleeves and silver laces in the front. His shirt was tucked into a pair of dark brown trousers and a pair of well polished black riding boots completed the outfit. A red leather sword belt encircled his trim waist and a pair of blades hung from the left side of the scabbard. A heavy cutlass hung low on the belt with a long fighting knife in a scabbard just behind it. The pommels of both blades were devoid of any ornamentation and showed signs of frequent use.

Pursing his lips slightly he dismissed his guards, closed the sliding doors behind him and strode into the room. "That is excellent blood wine my ladies, and it is extremely expensive. I see that you have excellent taste in wine and terrible manners as guests in a man's home. Traditionally a lady should wait for the host to pour." Lord Roenall strode over to the sideboard and picked up the decanter. He then topped off their glasses before pouring his own. He drank deeply and sighed contentedly, "I know it is frowned upon but there is something special about having a drink well before mid day, and looking at the two of you I suspect I will need a few additional drinks before our conversation is over."

"Lord Roenall," Soreal began. "Please my dear, call me Farthy."

"Farthy," Viconia snorted, "what kind of name is that?"

Lord Roenall flashed a set of sparkling white teeth, "Why my full given name is Farthington, and it is the name my parents bestowed upon me so I would thank you for respecting their choice."

Viconia snapped her mouth shut and started at the man in amazement for it was rare that one got the better of her in a conversation. Soreal sipped her wine and allowed the silence to build, knowing that most people could not stand silence and would start talking just to fill the awkward void.

Apparently Lord Roenall had the same knowledge for he just sipped his wine contentedly and leveled his gaze on the pair of women in front of him. The silence stretched onwards as the trio sipped their wine; finally Viconia lost her patience and had to speak. "We are here for the Lady Nalia; she is here against her will. You will release her to us."

Lord Roenall did not look surprised in the least by Viconia's command; in fact he seemed totally unaffected by it. Sighing heavily he drained his glass and set it down on the side board. "My dear Viconia DeVir, I will not release Lady Nalia to you two for release would imply she is held against her will. I assure you she is not; she is scheduled to wed my eldest son, Isaea."

Viconia snarled and took a half step towards Lord Roenall, "I demand that we see her now."

Roenall merely smiled as he eyed the diminutive drow. "Ladies, you are in no position to threaten me, particularly in my own home. I have a dozen highly trained men who can be in here in an instant. I am also somewhat proficient with a blade myself so I am unlikely to cower as easily as my poor steward. Besides," he smiled broadly, "I remember when you were almost burned at the stake not so very long ago. I am sure the authorities would love to spend some time with you." Viconia's hand slid to the head of the war hammer hanging at her side. Lord Roenall's eyes flickered to the weapon and then his gaze quickly returned to staring at Soreal and Viconia.

Sighing heavily Lord Roenall shook his head tiredly. "I see that you will not be easily turned from your path. Very well, I will grant your silly request only so I can avoid having to stain my good carpets with your blood. Besides I have yet to formally welcome the Lady Nalia into my home." Lord Roenall whistled shrilly and the doors quickly slid open. The elderly steward reappeared, now attired in a dark grey set of robes that were trimmed in scarlet. "Fetch our guest," Roenall commanded in a quiet voice. The steward nodded his head and quickly slid the doors shut.

Within moments the doors opened and the steward quickly stood aside as Nalia walked tentatively into the room. Once she had entered the room the steward quickly slid the doors closed once again. Nalia was formally dressed in a long scarlet dress with a high neck and long sleeves made of layers of fine lace. The dress was longer than floor length and dragged behind her as she shuffled into the room, eyes downcast, hands clasped together around a set of green ribbon. Her pale blond hair, normally a but unruly and worn down, was towering above her head looking like an ornate birds nest. Dozens of silver pins held the massive tower of hair in place.

"You summoned me Lord Roenall?" Nalia intoned dully as she started at her feet, the picture of a submissive woman.

"Yes my dear, I did. And no need to be so formal, you can call me dad. I am sorry that I have not had the time to receive you since you arrive in my house." Lord Roenall responded in a gentle voice. "I should have made time earlier but that is all in the past. You also have visitors, some friends of yours have come by to pay their respects."

"They have?" Nalia asked quietly as she slowly, cautiously, raised her head. Her mouth dropped open in surprise as she locked eyes with Viconia, her gaze quickly moved to Soreal but then returned to stare at Viconia, her eyes wide in silent desperation. Sensing her fear Viconia smiled and spoke in a reassuring voice, "You are safe dear. We are going to take you home."

"How is Anomen?" Nalia blurted, "Is he alive?"

"Squire Anomen is fine; he is as pompous and annoying as ever and is eagerly awaiting your return."

"But he was beaten so badly by Isaea and his guards, I thought he was going to die."

"Now what nonsense is this? I heard this drunken sot attacked my son and Nalia."

Nalia shook her head angrily as her entire body stiffened and she locked eyes with Lord Roenall, All traces of submissiveness gone, Nalia thrust her shoulders back and held her chin hish as she locked eyes with Lord Roenall.

"Your son Isaea lies my Lord. Anomen and I were out for a lovely walk when we were attacked by Isaea and his personal household guard. Two of them held me back while the other ten beat Anomen with the flats of their swords and then kicked him until he passed out."

"She speaks the truth Farthy." Viconia sneered. "I personally cared for him else he would have died from his injuries. Your son and his men attacked a man out walking with his lady friend."

Lord Roenall shook his head stubbornly, "I know my son is hot tempered, and his personal guards are an unsavory lot, but I cannot imagine they would do such a thing."

"Hot tempered?" Nalia asked angrily, her voice rising. "Hot tempered? Your son is an absolute monster Lord Roenall!" Nalia was red faced and shouting as she turned to face Isaea's father. She grabbed the ornate lacy sleeve on her left arm and pulled violently until the sleeve tore off at the shoulder seams. She repeated the action on the right sleeve and tossed the sleeves to the floor. Once her arms were uncovered she held them out for Lord Roenall's inspection.

Soreal sucked in her breath as she started at Nalia's arms. The upper arms were black and blue and showed the marks where someone had violently squeezed them.

"What happened to your arms my dear?" Lord Roenall's voice cracked with concern as he looked fondly at Nalia.

"Your shite of a son happened," Nalia raged at Lord Roenall. "He came to my room one night in an attempt to 'claim his rights.' Needless to say I fought back. He did not respond well to my resistance."

Lord Roenall shook his head stubbornly. My boy would not do this to a woman, that is not our way. I treated his mother like the treasure she was."

"You are blind to your son's true nature," Nalia sneered as she ripped the high collar off her dress. Nalia's neck was also black and blue and clearly displayed hand marks where someone had choked her almost to death. "Last night Isaea tried again and this time he made his plan plain, he planned to have his way with me after he choked me almost to death. It was all I could do to resist him. I was fortunate to get in a good strike to his groin. That took the wind out of his sails and caused him to break off the attack and flee like the coward that he is."

Lord Roenall staggered backwards and seated himself in a high backed chair by the fireplace. He placed his head in his hands and mumbled quietly to himself. Viconia strode over to examine Nalia and the young women hugged her fiercely, tears streaming down her face. "Is Anomen really well?" Nalia sobbed. Viconia nodded reassuringly and let Nalia rest against her as the tears wracked her body.

"Lord Roenall," Soreal began formally, "you have a reputation as a just and fair man. Your son is shaming your family name. He has attacked an honorable man and held a good woman against her will. For her own safety Nalia needs to leave with us."

"But the wedding," he began haltingly.

"There will NEVER be a wedding!" Nalia roared as she disengaged from Viconia'a arms and moved to stand before Lord Roenall's chair. "If you force me to go through with this farce I will kill your son at the first opportunity. Despite his best efforts to keep me from my craft I still have a few spells memorized." Nalia held her hands up in front of her face and electricity crackled as it flowed from one hand to another. The electricity bathed the room in blue light and made the bruises on Nalia's arms and face look even more painful.

"Thanks to my Aunt, and the rules of inheritance, you have already claimed my family lands and all of its incomes. You will never claim me. I would consider your decision carefully my Lord."

"Nalia," Lord Roenall pleaded, "think of the scandal if the marriage is cancelled. What will people say? How will it look?"

"How will it look? How will it look? You think I care how it will look? My father is dead, my ancestral lands are gone. The man I love was brutally attacked, I was kidnapped and brutalized by your son and you are worried how it will look?"

Nalia stood red faced and raged as Lord Roenall slumped back in his chair.

"If I do not walk out of this house a free woman immediately I will devote the rest of my life to embarrassing this house."

Regaining her composure she took a deep breath and walked to stand next to Viconia. "Besides," she continued in a calm quiet voice, "I am a woman now, no longer a maid, so any marriage contract is null and void."

Lord Roenall looked up confused, "I thought you said you resisted my son's advances."

Nalia smiled tightly, "I defended myself from his attacks but Squire Anomen beat him to my maidenhead. I gave it to him willingly and we plan to wed."

"Right then." Lord Roenall rose to his feet and helped himself to another glass of wine. Once he gulped it down he continued, "Lady Nalia, you must believe that I had no idea you did not support this arranged marriage. Both your Aunt and my son assured me you were a willing and blushing bride. I see I was misled." He whistled shrilly once again and the steward slid open the doors. "Collect up Nalia's things. She will be leaving us."

"My Lord?"

"You heard me Malthus. Gather her things."

"My Lord, forgive me but your son ordered me to ensure she remains in the house while he is out."

"My son does not rule here!" Lord Roenall roared as his steward and flung his wineglass to explode on the door frame to the side of Malthus. In a quieter voice Lord Roenall continued, "My son is too impressed with his station in this household and sometimes forgets himself. Get all of Lady Nalia's things and bring them here quickly." Malthus nodded and slid the doors closed again.

"My apologies for the display of temper, that was poorly done." Lord Roenall walked over to the fireplace and started into the cold hearth.

Nalia turned her back on Lord Roenall and walked over to stand close to Viconia. Soreal stepped forward to join them and the three whispered amongst themselves.

"Is Anomen really well?" Nalia asked as her brow creased in worry.

"Do we dare trust Lord Roenall?" Soreal asked worriedly.

"Definitely," Nalia nodded confidently, "he is an honorable man to his bones."

"But how does that explain the behavior of his sons?" Soreal asked.

Nalia shrugged her shoulders, "I do not know. I know when their mother died he denied them nothing as a way to make up for their loss. Perhaps that is where they went astray. It matters not to me. I have been waiting to see Lord Roenall without his sons to plead my case so this went as I hoped."

Within moments Malthus returned with a trail of serving ladies who carried pile of pile of clothes and jewels into the sitting room. They laid them out on the chairs and side tables in the room and hastily withdrew. Nalia started digging through the piles of clothing until she found her pale green mage robes. With a quick squeal of delight Nalia started ripping off her formal scarlet dress. Lord Roenall quickly faced the wall and muttered uncomfortably while Nalia stripped to her underthings and then clothed herself in her mage robes. Sighting contently she strapped on her belt over the robes and checked to see that her dagger, spell component pouch and coin purse were where she left them. She found her wand under a pile of necklaces and twirled it around in her fingers.

"I have missed my wand, I feel whole again." Nalia tucked the wand up into her sleeve and then located her hose and high soft leather boots. Once she had them on her feet she looked through the piles of clothing and jewelry and shrugged. "None of this is mine." She started pulling the silver pins from her hair and tossing them onto the floor. Within moments her hair was an unruly mess as it tumbled down around her shoulders.

Lord Roenall glanced over his shoulder and finding Nalia fully clothed turned back around. "I purchased all of those clothes and jewelry for you my dear. I was so looking forward to having a daughter."

Nalia looked at Lord Roenall with a small smile on her face. She strode over and hugged him, "I believe you are an honorable man. My father had no love for you but did say you were an honorable man and always fair. You have demonstrated that today. Please know that I do not blame the father for the son."

Lord Roenall nodded and then strode over to a large desk that was sitting against the wall between floor to ceiling bookshelves. He quickly pulled out parchment pen and ink and started writing. When he was done he sprinkled sand over the documents to absorb the excess ink. He then placed a blob of red wax at the bottom of each document and pushed his large signet ring into it, leaving an imprint of his family seal. He then rolled up the scrolls, tied them with scarlet ribbons and handed them to Nalia.

"Have one delivered to the Council building and keep the other two copies for yourself. These documents dissolve the arranged marriage between you and Isaea. The authorities will not trouble you."

"What about Isaea?" Nalia asked sharply.

Lord Roenall shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "I cannot say my dear. Your friends killed his guards... and I thank them for that," he added hastily as he noticed Soreal tense and place a hand on her rapier.

"Without his men he stands alone, so I will tell him to obey my wishes and hope that he listens. I cannot promise he will listen but I will do my best."

"Fair enough." Nalia agreed. "But please know that is he crosses paths with me again I will kill him."

"I believe that you would my dear, I believe that you would."

Lord Roenall nodded approvingly at the young girl. "You truly are your father's daughter Lady Nalia and I am sure you will do what you have to do and that you will do so with honor. It is a pity that my son was not a man worth of your affection. Please give my regards to Squire Anomen, he sounds like a fine young man who is worthy of your affection."

"He is." Nalia said simply.

Without a backward glance she turned and departed the house trailed by Viconia and Soreal.


End file.
